Medical group commits to promote healthcare in communities through philanthropy

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Former Commissioner for Health, Lagos State, Dr. Jide Idris, has commended a group of socio-philanthropic individuals, KB Klub, of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, for their drive to promote and improve healthcare in Nigeria in the area of manpower and service delivery.

He said while the intuition of social welfare is laudable, it is a perfect platform to continue the conversation on the country’s health system, with a view to prioritisation towards empowerment and health promotion.

He gave the commendation at the 50th Anniversary Reunion of KB Klub alumni and members and its celebration of philanthropy in the country at the weekend in Lagos.

Idris stressed that there is a chain of inter-relationships between philanthropy, social determinants of health, empowerment, communication and health literacy, which denote love for humanity and private initiatives of public growth, thereby focusing on the quality of life.

He noted that globally, health equity is increasingly becoming an area of focus of philanthropy, which he said is a development driven by a sense of urgency regarding the need to reverse non-standing destructive frames.

According to Idris, the health sector is the back bone of any economy, as factors affecting Nigeria’s health system performance include: inadequate health facility and structure, poor management of human resources for health, inadequate healthcare providers and their poor motivation and enumeration, equitable and unsustained healthcare financing.

Others are: skewed economic and political relations, corruption. Illiteracy, decreased government investment in the health sector, high user fees, policy reversals and other inconsistencies over the years, which he said tend to undermine some health reforms of the past.

The former commissioner noted that in time past, many philanthropic groups will address health and focus on individuals, with emphasis on health education, which brings an improvement in the public healthcare services.

He said with respect to this, the role of health promotion in community empowerment and the social economic development of any nation cannot be over emphasised, as it is the process of enabling communities to increase control over their lives, as well as improving people’s access to health information and their capacity to use it effectively.

“I commend the club for preserving this legacy of unwavering dedication to contributing positively to the society by notable philanthropic initiatives.

“I totally agree with the whole idea that philanthropy is worth celebrating, considering the fact that all over the world, it is becoming more popular than ever before. This is in fact a laudable act and government alone cannot solve all the challenges facing the nation,” he said.

Also speaking at the anniversary reunion, the Pioneer of KB Klub, who is also the Chief Medical Director, Mart Group Health Services, and Joint Pioneer of IVF in Nigeria, Prof. Oladapo Ashiru, explained that the club is a socio- philanthropic organisation of medical students, where a core group of intelligent and well behaved students can go through and be groomed to excel in their chosen medical discipline.

He said the organisation instills leadership skills and discipline into its members, which has so far produced reputable healthcare professionals and entrepreneurs in Nigeria, in the area of In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF), Chief Medical Directors of tertiary health institutions, Ophthalmologists, Obstetricians, Orthopedic surgeons and other medical specialties, as well as the best clinics in Nigeria, which is the group’s way of contributing to the health system of the country.

He said the club would continue to ensure that the medical students are given adequate training and mentorship in their different areas of discipline to help bridge the gap of inadequate and inefficient manpower in the nation’s health system.

Explaining further on the objectives of the organisation, the Chairman, Organising Committee of the anniversary, Adewale Fashina, who is also the Chief Executive Officer, Pharsh Pharma Service Nigeria Limited, said all through the organisation’s years of existence, the it has made difference in the area of academic empowerment and improved social standards in the college of medicine.

He added that the club has continued to make a difference in the area of philanthropy by continuously touching the lives of less privileged in communities in the area of free healthcare delivery/outreach, education empowerment to children with disabilities, power supply, sport and other development.