By Nicholas Dechi
The President of the Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria (APHPN), Dr Terfa Kene, has urged newly inducted medical doctors to resist emigration and contribute their skills and expertise to Nigeria’s development.
Kene gave the charge on Tuesday in Makurdi as guest speaker at the 12th induction ceremony of 56 medical graduates of the College of Health Sciences, Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi (MOAUM).
He said many Nigerians who relocated abroad in search of better opportunities were not gainfully employed, adding that migration did not always guarantee career advancement or improved economic prospects.
The public health physician warned that some Nigerian doctors abroad often abandoned medical practice for menial jobs, urging the inductees to build rewarding careers at home while pursuing global opportunities responsibly.
Kene described medical education as a source of pride for every society and emphasised the need for governments, institutions and families to invest deliberately in training competent healthcare professionals.
According to him, modern doctors must be multi-skilled, entrepreneurial and technologically driven to remain relevant in a rapidly changing healthcare environment, noting that telemedicine is now integral to practice.
He advised the newly inducted doctors to remain humble, continuously update their knowledge and uphold the ethics and code of conduct of the profession in spite of growing social media influences.
Kene urged the inductees to treat patients with love, compassion and dignity, stressing that effective healthcare delivery required understanding and sharing in the pain of those receiving treatment.
He highlighted emerging health challenges, including climate change, burnout caused by long working hours and lifestyle-related illnesses, such as Vitamin D deficiency linked to prolonged indoor living.
The guest speaker commended the Benue Government for ongoing infrastructural development and observed that poverty and disease were “like twins,” underscoring the need for sustained healthcare investments.
He encouraged doctors to diversify into entrepreneurship, including agriculture, and urged government to support banana cultivation along riverbanks, noting its potential for syrup production and economic development.
Kene appealed to the Benue Government to donate N200 million to APHPN for the construction of an estate and secretariat in Abuja to support doctors undergoing housemanship postings.
He also requested the provision of a bus to facilitate the transportation of doctors between Abuja and Benue whenever their services were required in the state.
The APHPN president further announced the institution of academic awards, including the Joseph Kene Award, Mernan Kene Award and Elizabeth Mbazedan Kene Award for outstanding graduating students.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Abiemwense Moru