- Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa (third left), with others during the 2024 Annual Conference of the Association of Nigerian Physicians in Americas, which held from June 19 to 23, 2024… in California, United States
By Anthony Nwachukwu
Nigerian medical and health professionals in the diaspora have been urged to join hands with the Federal Government in improving the sector in the country, leveraging their advancement and in technology and education, among others, to benefit the country.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa, who made the call in his address at the annual convention of the Association of Nigerian Physicians in Americas (ANPA) in California, United States, which ended Sunday, described this period as “a tremendous opportunity to make an impact.”
He told ANPA and other diaspora health professionals that the government recognises their potential in strengthening the nation’s healthcare system, having “been exposed to advanced technology, service and best practices in health education,” and is therefore increasing attention on diaspora engagement.
“The expertise you have acquired here can be leveraged upon to enhance the healthcare system in Nigeria. Your proficiency in advanced medical technology, evidence-based practice and research, patient care standards, and organisational leadership is invaluable in this regard.”
He assured the continued collaboration of the Federal Ministry of Health “to share mutual knowledge, and work in tandem towards mentorship and training, advocacy and policy change, community outreach and health education, partnerships and collaborations, with the aim of strengthening the health system of our dear country.”
According to him, possible areas of collaboration include medical education with Nigerian medical schools, manpower synergy with local tertiary hospitals, adoption of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs), research, and Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), among others.
“By implementing these strategies, we can make significant differences in the lives of millions in our motherland. We have the power to shape the future of healthcare of Nigerians to create a system that is more inclusive, more effective and more responsive to the needs of our people,” he added.
Appealing for synergy, therefore, Alausa said it was “time for ANPA and its members, collectively and individually, to join hands with government in our homeland to take healthcare in Nigeria to its deserved place in the comity nations that we can all be proud of.”
According to him, “a key programme aimed at crystallising this initiative is the Healthcare Professional in the Diaspora (HPD) engagement programme, which is being expanded for sustainability. There are engagements behind the scene to see how the programme can be effectively implemented, especially in terms of funding.
“We are in the process of setting up an active and interactive dashboard to enable us have the database of Nigerian health professionals in the diaspora for ease of engagement and interaction.
“The approach is to reinvigorate the previous efforts and processes to fully engage the health professionals in diaspora and global workforce to transfer/repatriate skills and knowledge to home-based healthcare professionals in a more robust and sustainable manner.”
Commending their giving back to Nigeria in the areas of medical services, capacity building and remittances, Alausa disclosed that the Federal Government was expanding the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) established in 2020 with the Sector-Wide approach (SWAP).
