Vice-Chancellor, Igbinedion University Okada (IUO), Prof. Lawrence Ezemonye on Thursday expressed optimism that Nigeria’s healthcare system, despite facing a myriad of challenges that put it at a critical crossroads, disclosed that the challenges are surmountable.
Ezemonye made the remarks during the institution’s 20th Oath-Taking and Induction Ceremony of her newly qualified medical doctors of the 2024/2025 session in Okada, Edo State with a charge on the graduates to contribute their quota to the noble profession of medicine.
The Vice-Chancellor said that the nation is brimming with brilliant medical minds yet grappling with profound systemic challenges.
According to him, Nigeria’s healthcare system, as we are aware, stands at a critical crossroads.
He added that the stark realities of brain drain remain one of the major challenges in the health sector among others saying “We face the stark realities of brain drain, where a significant number of our best and brightest are compelled to seek practice abroad. “
Ezemonye added that inadequate funding for public health infrastructure, inequitable access to quality care for the rural poor, and the lingering burden of preventable diseases were also affecting the nation’s healthcare delivery.
While admonishing the inductees, Ezemonye said, ” Dear graduates, we have trained you for leadership. We have equipped you not just with the knowledge of pathophysiology and pharmacology, but with the critical thinking, innovation, and resilience required to be architects of change. “
The University Don said that the call to ‘salvage’ is not a call to single-handedly fix a broken system overnight but a call to be a catalyst.
“It is a call to be a catalyst. Your first step is the most important one. It sets the direction for your entire career and defines the kind of doctors you choose to be.
“Heeding this call means becoming a doctor of integrity. In a system sometimes plagued by unethical practices, let your word be your bond. Let your diagnosis be accurate, your counsel be truthful, and your hands be clean. Uphold the sanctity of the patient-doctor relationship, for it is the bedrock of our profession. “Ezemonye said.
The registrar, Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria
(MDCN), Dr. Fatima Kyari, represented by the deputy registrar, Dr. Enejo Abdu tasked the inductees on their hippocratic oath and responsibilities in the field of medicine.
