The Chairman of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe, has called on medical practitioners across Nigeria to combine professional competence with compassion and conscience in providing healthcare services.
Oloriegbe, a surgeon and consultant, made the call in Ilorin while delivering the keynote address at the 27th National Conference of the Islamic Medical Association of Nigeria (IMAN).
Speaking on the theme, “Compassion, Competence and Conscience: Integrating Islamic Values in Nigerian Medical Practice,” he urged healthcare professionals to continuously update their knowledge, show empathy to patients and remain conscious of Allah’s guidance in the discharge of their responsibilities.
He also urged doctors and other healthcare workers not to allow inadequate funding, poor hospital facilities and other challenges confronting the health sector to weaken their commitment to saving lives.
Oloriegbe stressed that a patient’s financial status should not determine the quality or urgency of care received, noting that the preservation of human life must remain the foremost consideration of every medical practitioner.
“I urge participants to remain resolute. As medical practitioners, we must ensure that we attend diligently to patients, from interrogation and testing to assessment and prescription of drugs, in order to save lives.
“Saving one life is worth more than money. Whoever saves a patient’s life saves humanity. I urge you to bear in mind that one day, someone may approach you with nothing in his or her hands but fear in their eyes.
“Treat such a person with compassion, knowing that Allah will reward you,” he said.
Earlier, IMAN President, Prof. Adekunle Ibrahim, said the conference came at a critical period when Nigeria was contending with a range of health challenges, including infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases and deficiencies in healthcare infrastructure.
Ibrahim said the challenges also presented opportunities for innovation, leadership and principled action, stressing that IMAN remained committed to promoting quality healthcare delivery guided by Islamic values.
“Our country faces evolving challenges, ranging from infectious diseases to non-communicable diseases and health infrastructural gaps.
“Yet, in every challenge lies an opportunity for leadership, innovation and principled action,” he said.
According to him, IMAN had pursued initiatives aimed at promoting Ibadah-friendly healthcare services, capacity building, mentoring and research, while also strengthening partnerships and improving the association’s financial sustainability.
He said the initiatives had contributed to significant progress in advancing the association’s objectives and improving healthcare delivery.
The Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), Prof. Lukman Abdulrahman, described IMAN as the umbrella body for Muslim healthcare professionals in Nigeria, established to enable its members to uphold the demands of their faith while promoting the sanctity of human life.
Abdulrahman disclosed that IMAN had organised a medical outreach that provided services to more than 2,000 patients across Kwara State.
He said the outreach included medical consultations, eye care and cataract surgery, cervical cancer screening, family planning, laboratory investigations and other specialist services.
He added that preliminary screening had been carried out across the three senatorial districts of the state through cottage and general hospitals, leading to the identification of nearly 100 surgical cases requiring treatment.
According to him, the organisers were committed to providing comprehensive care to beneficiaries at the point of first contact, while patients requiring advanced treatment would be referred to appropriate healthcare facilities within or close to their communities.
Also speaking, the Kwara State Commissioner for Health, Dr Amina El-Imam, who represented Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, commended IMAN for its humanitarian interventions and contribution to healthcare delivery in the state.
She acknowledged the association’s efforts in reaching underserved communities and supporting government’s drive to improve access to quality healthcare services.
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