By Muhammad Auwal
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has called for the release of 5 per cent of Consolidated Revenue fund meant for emergency medical treatment in the country.
Chairman of NMA in Cross River State, Dr Agam Ayuk disclosed this on Tuesday in Calabar on the sideline of the 2019 Physicians Week.
Newsmen reports that the theme of the 2019 Physicians’ Week is “Care of the Unknown Patient: Policy Overview and Review.”
He said the release of the fund would help in rendering medical services to unknown patients in the country.
“We have the National Health Act (NHA) that has provided 5 per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund in terms of distribution for care of emergency cases.
“Right now, the Federal Ministry of Health has not set up modalities for these funds to be released to care for unknown patients.
“Unkown patients could be someone who has road accident, someone who is brought to the hospital unconscious and cannot be identified immediately and others.
“NMA believes that the government should take concerted efforts and create a policy towards the release of the fund for care of emergency cases which also include unknown patients,” he said.
Ayuk said that for gunshot injury victims, the police has clarified that doctors and health workers should treat them and report to any security agency closer to them for investigation.
“We may have a gunshot injury patient who may not be identified. In this case who pays for the bill. So, what we are saying is that concerted effort should be taken for the release of the funds.
“Unkown patient could be anybody. So we are calling on government at all levels to put this in place. We want this 5 per cent fund to be operationalised so that Nigerians and unknown patients can benefit accordingly,” he added.
NMA’s President, Dr Francis Faduyile, whose speech was read by Ayuk at the occasion, said that Nigerians Physicians have continued to render their services in spite of various challenges.
Faduyile lamented that Nigerian doctors faced challenges such as kidnapping, incessant harassment and assault, poor general working conditions amongst others.
