4th December, 2017
Dr Segun Olaopa, the President, Association of Resident Doctors, has urged the Federal Government to be more proactive in its efforts to curtail Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) in the country.
Olaopa made the plea on Monday at a news briefing in Ibadan to herald week-long activities marking the 49th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the association.
Theme of the Scientific Conference slated to commence on Wednesday is: “Non-Communicable Diseases in Nigeria: Where Do We Stand?” Olaopa said that theme of the scientific conference was apt in the sense that non-communicable diseases have remained heavy burdens on the global community.
Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia, describes NCD as “a medical condition or disease that is not caused by infectious agents (non-infectious or non-transmissible).
`Sometimes, NCDs result in rapid deaths as seen in certain diseases such as autoimmune diseases, heart diseases, stroke, cancers, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, cataracts, and others.’’
Also, the World Health Organisation (WHO), in a publication said, “non-communicable diseases (NCDs) kill 40 million people each year, equivalent to 70 per cent of all deaths globally.
“Each year, 15 million people die from a NCD between the ages of 30 and 69 years; over 80 per cent of these “premature” deaths occur in low and middle-income countries.
“Cardiovascular diseases account for most NCD deaths, or 17.7 million people annually, followed by cancers (8.8 million), respiratory diseases (3.9million), and diabetes (1.6 million).’’
Olaopa said: “The impact of the burden of NCDs necessitated its inclusion in the new Global Sustainable Developmental Goals.
“In 2015, as part of the efforts of track global progress to reduce premature deaths from preventable NCDs, WHO conducted its 5th National Non-Communicable Diseases country capacity survey.
“This survey was aimed at generating detailed information from countries on their current capabilities related to NCDs in areas of infrastructure, policy action, surveillance and health system response.
“All adequate information of international intervention on the curtailment of these NCDs will be treated extensively at the scientific conference by professionals in the field,” he said.
In a related development, Olaopa, on behalf of the association, presented consumables and drugs to the Otunba Tunwase Paediatric Department of the University College Hospital (UCH).
While presenting the items, Olaopa said that the gesture was in line with the resident doctors’ determination to make positive impact on healthcare delivery in UCH.
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He said that doctors were aware of some cases where indigent patients abandoned their infants because they could not meet the medical bills incurred by them.
While receiving the consumables, Dr Adeyemi Labaeka, the Paediatric Consultant in charge of Otunba Tunwase Children Emergency Ward, thanked the ARD for making life easier for the indigent parents of children brought in for treatment.
Also, Dr Victor Akinmoladun, the Chairman Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC), thanked the resident doctors for their gesture.