The Medical Director of the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Benin City, Dr Philip Ugbodaga, has urged medical practitioners in the country to be advocates for the poor in line with their Hippocratic oath and the imperative for the practice of social medicine.
Ugbodaga made the call on Thursday in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital as the guest speaker at the ongoing Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) Ordinary General Meeting, themed “The Medical Profession: Policies, Politics and Future Prospects”.
The event was chaired by the Executive Chairman of the National Assembly Service Commission, Dr Savior Enyiekere, while the Chief Medical Director of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Prof Emem-Abasi Bassey, was chief host.
Ugbodaga reminded the doctors that they are placed in a special vantage position where they can see how poverty, housing deficits, insecurity, lack of health insurance, and other factors affect the health of the poor masses.
“As medical practitioners and in line with your oath and the need to fully imbibe the principle of the practice of social medicine, I urge you to be advocates for the rights of all Nigerians, especially the poor, irrespective of political, religious, or ethnic background.
“You must advocate for justice, equity, and fairness, and you must advocate for good governance through activities and actions that will guarantee a prosperous future for all Nigerians and not only the future of the medical profession.
“I do not pray for a day when a medical practitioner will prescribe medications for his patient to be taken three times a day and the patient turns round with a demand on the doctor to provide the three meals for him or her,” he said.
Speaking further, Ugbodaga said: “Medical practitioners have been placed in a special vantage position where they can see how poverty, housing deficits, insecurity, a lack of health insurance, and other factors affect health.
“However, most doctors do not know what to do with this information or envision how they can make a difference. To create a truly healthy Nigeria, we need a new kind of orientation for the medical community that prepares them for roles as advocates for social change”
“That is why some of us have been engaged in the practice of social medicine and research-based health advocacy for several decades. It stems from our belief that physician advocacy is a central tenet of medical professionalism.
“Physicians have a long history of advocacy, particularly for the poor in society. Take, for example, Rudolph Virchow, a 19th-century German physician who is considered to be the father of pathology. Virchow believed that physicians have a responsibility to work on behalf of the poor.
“When asked to investigate the cause of a local typhus outbreak, he identified poverty, famine and political corruption as the root causes of the spread of the disease. He later became a German politician and helped develop health care reforms that laid the foundation for the system of universal health care that now exists in Germany. Nigerian medical professionals can do the same, he advised.
“The major health care challenges that our country faces — from inadequate healthcare financing, access to health insurance, occasional outbreaks of infectious diseases, and the unmet health needs of millions of Nigerians — require a physician workforce with the passion and skills to advocate for public policies that will improve health and health equity” he said.
The Medical Director described as gratifying, President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to improving the quality of healthcare services for Nigerians by making the most ambitious financial investment in the health sector in the history of our country since coming to office, with a health sector budget of ₦1.502 trillion in 2024 and an unprecedented ₦2.48 trillion 2025, which he said have revitalised PHCs, expanded health insurance coverage, strengthen health security and expand health infrastructure.
On his part, the President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria (NARD), Dr Osundara Tope Zenith, bemoaned the unprecedented challenges facing the medical profession.
He noted that the medical profession is profoundly influenced by policies and politics because reforms in healthcare impact the viability of healthcare systems and the quality of care provided.
He said: “As we navigate complex policies and political dynamics, it is essential to recognize the vital role that healthcare professionals play in advocating for effective policies that enhance patient care and public health. During this meeting, we will explore how these policies impact not only our practices but also the communities that we serve.”
Dignitaries in attendance included the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Mohammad Ali Pate, the President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Prof Bala Audu, the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Yusuf Tanko Sununu, Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Health, Dr Ekzem Emmanuel John and delegates from all residency training institutions in the country.
