APHPN President Urges Newly Inducted Doctors to Stay in Nigeria, Build Careers, Serve Humanity
Calls for investment in healthcare, entrepreneurship, telemedicine as 56 medical graduates are inducted at MOAUM.
By Our Correspondent In Makurdi
Dr. Terfa Kene, President of the Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria (APHPN), has urged newly inducted medical doctors to resist the temptation of relocating abroad in search of greener pastures, encouraging them instead to remain in Nigeria, develop their careers and contribute meaningfully to national development.
Kene made the appeal on Tuesday while delivering a keynote address at the 12th induction ceremony of 56 medical graduates of the College of Health Sciences, Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi (MOAUM).
He noted that many Nigerians who migrated overseas were not gainfully employed and warned that some medical doctors who relocated abroad had abandoned their profession for menial jobs.
He advised the newly inducted doctors to build rewarding careers at home while taking advantage of global opportunities with the objective of making positive impacts.
The APHPN President described medical education as a source of pride for every society and stressed the need for governments and families to deliberately invest in the training of healthcare professionals.
According to him, modern medical practice requires doctors to be multi-skilled, entrepreneurial and technology-driven, noting that telemedicine has become an indispensable aspect of healthcare delivery.
Kene urged the new doctors to remain humble, continually update their professional knowledge and strictly uphold the ethics and code of conduct of the medical profession despite the growing influence of social media.
He also advised them to treat patients with love, compassion and dignity, stressing that medical practitioners must always identify with the pain and challenges of those under their care.
Highlighting emerging public health concerns, Kene identified climate change, burnout from long working hours and lifestyle-related illnesses, including Vitamin D deficiency resulting from prolonged indoor living and excessive use of air conditioners, as issues requiring greater attention.
The APHPN President commended the Benue State Government for ongoing infrastructural development, noting that poverty and disease were closely linked and underscoring the importance of sustained investment in the healthcare sector.
He further encouraged doctors to embrace entrepreneurship, including agriculture, and suggested the cultivation of banana plantations along riverbanks, noting the crop's industrial and medicinal value, including syrup production.
Kene appealed to the Benue State Government to donate N200 million to the Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria to support the construction of an estate and secretariat in Abuja that would provide accommodation for doctors undergoing housemanship in the Federal Capital Territory.
He also requested the provision of a bus to facilitate transportation of doctors between Abuja and Benue whenever their services were needed in the state.
As part of efforts to promote academic excellence, Kene announced the institution of three annual awards: the Joseph Kene Award for the best graduating student in Community Medicine, the Mernan Kene Award for the best graduating student in Internal Medicine, and the Elizabeth Mbazedan Kene Award for the best graduating student in Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
