Health Specialists, Academic Storm
Health Specialists, Academic Storm Enugu for ACUF Asthma
Conference
It was an exchange of intellectual ideas and impart of knowledge
on Thursday, July 18, 2019, as professors from different fields of
knowledge, especially health, congregated at Oaklands Hotel in
Enugu for the 2019 Amaka Chiwuike-Uba Foundation (ACUF) national
asthma conference.
The conference with the theme: “Better Breathing; Better Living:
The Role of the Environment and Governance” had in attendance more
than 700 participants drawn from different states across the
country, including those with asthma ailment.
The professors and experts in attendance included: former
Minister for Health, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu (who was also chairman
of the conference), Former Minister for Power, Prof Chinedu Nebo,
Consultant Chest Physician, Prof Gregory Erhabor, the Vice
Chairman, Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy (ISGPP),
Prof Tunji Olaopa, former Pro-chancellor and Chairman of the
governing board of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife, Prof
Rowland Ndoma-Egba, Consultant Pulmonologist and Pediatrician, Dr
Adaeze Ayuk, Secretary of Anambra State Investment Promotion and
Protection Agency (ANSIPPA), Dr Ifediora Amobi, Consultant
Pulmonologist, Dr. Adewole, Human Development Consultant, Larry
Oguego, among other national and international public speakers.
In his opening remarks, Chairman of the conference and former
Minister for Health, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu, said that the one-day
conference couldn’t have come at a better time, as there was need
to help government in its policy direction, especially as they
affect health and the environment.
Prof Chukwu, who served as Minister during the administration of
President Goodluck Jonathan, said that universal healthcare
coverage needs funding to be adequately implemented in the country,
saying that many people cannot afford medical services in Nigeria,
as a result of poverty, even as he said that health is the
fundamental human right of citizens.
He said: “As we are leaving here, we should leave with what we
need to tell government about improving healthcare and services. I
must congratulate the Founder of ACUF, Dr Chiwuike Uba, for his
vision and selflessness in establishing a foundation that will help
those living with asthma, having suffered the personal loss of
losing his wife through asthma on July 4, 2016.
“The theme for this year’s conference is particularly important
because of the dangers we face as a result of pollution and it is
still part of the theme of the 2017 conference. Regrettable, many
people cannot access quality healthcare or medical services, as a
result of poverty. That’s why we must support universal healthcare
coverage. We need funding for universal healthcare coverage in
Nigeria. It is the human right of Nigerian citizens.”
Agreeing with Prof Chukwu, a former Pro-chancellor and Chairman
of the governing board of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile
Ife, Prof Rowland Ndoma-Egba, said that accessing quality
healthcare is still a problem in Nigeria, even as he expressed
gratitude to Dr Uba for the humane gesture of undertaking the
treatment of asthma patients through ACUF.
He said: “I have great respect for Dr Chiwuike Uba for the fact
that he is using the foundation to make sure that no one loses his
soul because of asthma complications. There is no love greater than
establishing this foundation in the memory of his wife, as the
activities of the foundation will forever cement the memories of
his wife in people’s mind.
“Health is important in our daily lives, though access to
quality healthcare is still a problem in Nigeria. I am particularly
interested in governance and how the people at the local level are
affected. How can our local governments meet up with their
responsibilities of primary healthcare delivery, if allocations to
local governments do not get to them?
“Human capital is important in quality healthcare delivery. Enugu
State has a teaching hospital today, but finance is a challenge,
especially because of human capital. The uncertainty of health and
pollution of the environment remains a thing of concern. Efforts
should be made to implement quality healthcare in Nigeria.
“If government is serious, in one year, we will have all the
services we need. Politicians must show concern to resurrect
confidence in their followers and not allow the seeming neglect of
the healthcare system.”
On his part, a consultant chest physician and professor of
medicine, Prof Gregory Erhabor, said that education of the public
by medical practitioners is paramount, as it would help in changing
their perception about medical conditions.
“In the UK and other advanced countries, medical practitioners
educate their patients. When the patient has cancer, asthma or any
other ailment, you educate him. The internet is not the best way
for education, because you can find many junks there. It is our
responsibility to pass the message across to the world. We might
not necessarily change the world, but we will change a lot,” he
said.
Similarly, former Minister for Power, Prof Chinedu Nebo, said
that Dr Uba was offering invaluable services to humanity by
establishing ACUF to take care of as many asthma patients as
possible.
“I am deeply impressed by ACUF because I think something really
needs to be done about asthma. When I was young, asthma was
described as a disability disorder. We have lost so many people to
asthma and we have to make many realise the disability disorder so
that we can save more lives,” he said.
Also speaking, Consultant Pulmonologist and Pediatrician, Dr
Adaeze Ayuk, whose address was on “Environmental Risk Factors for
Asthma in Children”, said that more awareness is needed on asthma,
as environmental pollution affects both children and adults, even
as she enlightened participants on asthma triggers.
“Air pollution affects every part of the body, including the
brain. If asthmatic, you need to identify and avoid triggers.
Control of the environment requires attention based on indoor and
outdoor activities. You can replace your carpet, wash your curtains
more often and clean your window panes.
“Also encourage people to go and see a doctor when they exhibit
symptoms of being asthmatic. It is not a matter of ‘it is not my
portion’. When they visit the hospital, data will be collected for
research and recommendations,” she said.
Speaking on “Human Rights, Environment and Health Management in
Nigeria”, a Human Development Consultant, Larry Oguego, said every
problem in Nigeria today can be viewed through the lens of human
rights, even as he said that poverty has reduced the lives of
people to the level where they no longer have dignity for human
rights.
He said: “Chapters 2 and 4 of the 1999 constitution has upheld
human rights as the rights accruing to us, because we are humans
and should enjoy them from birth till death. However, by omission
or commission, it is common to abuse human rights in Nigeria,
especially by security agencies and as a result of poverty. In
fact, it is a crime to be poor in Nigeria, as poverty has already
taken away some of your fundamental human rights.
“The highest violator of human rights is the police. The average
police cell is designed to trigger asthma, as some people die in
police cells as a result of asthma complications. This is apart
from police using teargas to disperse demonstrations, with many of
them being asthma patients. Police arrest and keep people in
solitary confinements or in the booth of cars, regardless of the
fact that the supposed criminals may be asthma patients.
“Apart from the police, our political leaders are also abusing
human rights of Nigerians. In schools, classrooms are either
overcrowded or students are exposed to cold, as they are forced to
learn in the open, without protection under trees. There is no
ventilation inside classrooms or protection from the air under
mango trees.
“Our healthcare system is in a sorry state. If you have a
medical emergency, especially as a poor man, you are on your own.
Even some healthcare providers lack knowledge of what asthma is all
about. However, we must steer Nigeria away from poverty, because
poverty aggravates human rights abuse. Some asthma patients die
because they don’t have money to pay deposits.”
By PRNigeria