It was fun and fanfare as members of the 1978 class of medical doctors of the College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka reunited for the first time forty years after graduation. Despite the long period they couldn’t meet after their induction in 1978, class members didn’t find it difficult to recognize each other.
Although, the university of Nigeria College of Medicine (UNNCOMA) hall located at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, (UNTH) Ituku Ozalla Enugu State, was filled up with guests from different parts of the world, university officials, the academia and medical students, the opening ceremony performed by the provost, college of medicine, UNN, Prof. Uchenna Nwagha was sober.
There was indeed a minute silence in honour of 19 class members who have passed on. Prominent among them was Prof. Aloy Aghaji, who died on active service in 2009, as the Provost College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Nsukka. On graduation in 1978, they were 95, but now, they are 76.
Addressing the gathering, the provost, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Prof. Uchenna Nwagha, said the medical college had gone through several transformation overtime since their graduation in 1978. He stated that the system of learning had not only gone nuclear now, the college had entered into collaboration with the Gallily medical college in Israel as part of effort to boost medical education in the institution.
Nwagha re-affirmed the commitment of the present administration led by the vice chancellor, Prof. Benjamin Chukwuma Ozumba, to make the college of medicine the best on the continent, even as he noted that much funds had been invested on research.
While expressing joy for the honour to declare the event open, the provost said he had an emotional attachment with the 1978 class, having served as an associate dean under their late member, Prof. Aloy Aghaji, when he was the dean of the faculty of medicine, UNN.
To maintain morality and discipline, the erudite scholar urged young ones to zip up, stressing that medical students should also take the issue of dressing seriously.
The coordinator of the 2018 re-union of the 1978 class of medical doctors of the College of Medicine, UNN, Prof. Ifeoma Emodi, expressed with nostalgia that their members were able to re-assemble after forty years, with many of them still looking very young and healthy.
Emodi said that while they mourn their late class members, those living should be celebrated, adding that members of their class had made immense contribution to the growth of healthcare within and outside the country and recalled that Prof. Joseph Ana had once served Cross River State as commissioner for health and member of the Federal House of Representatives.
In a lecture titled “The 12 Pillar Clinical Governance”, Prof. Joseph Ana, called on the federal government and the states to improve funding of the health sector, as poor funding had made it impossible for Nigerians to access good healthcare.
Ana, noted that no matter how beautiful the buildings in hospitals and health facilities, and no matter how sophisticated the equipment are, the critical factor in delivering quality and safe care, preventing and reducing mortality and morbidity is the attitude and behaviour of the health care providers, their knowledge, skills and expertise on the job.
Ana explained that the 12 Pillar clinical governance in Nigeria was founded to reverse the negative attributes of the health system, reverse the negative attributes of the providers, improve performance and quality, satisfy patients and reverse medical tourism to India, Dubai, Israel, South Africa, Egypt and other countries.
Dr. Emmanuel Okafor from the Orange Village, Ohio, USA, who spoke on “Caring for the Caregiver”, identified smoking, hypertension, weight, inactivity and bad life style as some of risk factors for stroke, adding that Nigerians should take their health issue seriously and form the habit of going for periodic medical examination.
Okafor traced some of the major causes of prostate cancer to family history, smoking and high fat diet, pointing out that early detection was key.
Also in her paper titled “Empowering Young People – are we heading for a demographic Dividend or a demographic Doom”, a public health physician, Dr. Nkechi Ogbuagu, cautioned young people against bad life style, greed, and abandonment of medical ethics and norms for quick money that could derail their ambition of becoming some of the best in the profession and urged them to take the issue of HIV /AIDS seriously, even as they respect their parents and elders.
