Update from ANPA President

ANPA President, Fiemu Nwariaku

March 3, 2011
From the Office of the President

Dear Colleagues,

As promised, I would like to use this opportunity to provide you with updates on the activities of our organization. Much has happened since our strategic retreat in Houston in November. I am pleased to announce that the much awaited memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Federal Ministry of Health in Nigeria was signed on February 14th 2011. Some of you may recall that the initial MOU signed 6 years ago did not result in any significant activity. As a result the current leadership of the FMOH assembled a meeting of stakeholders in Abuja, last July. During that meeting, the decision was made to renew the MOU, but make it active by convening a joint technical committee (JTC) which will become the effector arm for the MOU.

On February 14th 2011, the Hon. Federal Minister of Health signed the MOU and commemorated a fourteen-member JTC. Represented on the JTC, were ANPA, MANSAG, FMOH, Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), National Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) and the Committee of Chief Medical Directors of Tertiary Hospitals. Our organization was represented by Past President Kpaduwa and myself. Also present from ANPA were Drs Igho Ofotokun, Vincent Idemyor and Abdulkareem Lateef.

Dr. Nwariaku and Hon. Min. of Health, Prof Chukwu, sign MOU 

The JTC held its first meeting that day, and began the work of identifying priorities that match the resources of ANPA and MANSAG. The next meeting is scheduled for late March 2011. ANPA proposes to focus on Maternal/Child Health and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) as the initial priorities. Our organization will then leverage our technical expertise and resources to address these priorities. We believe that this is a huge step by our government, and will rely on our members to deliver on our promises. I will continue to keep you abreast of the JTC activities as they pertain to our organization.

Secondly, ANPA has been fortunate to secure financial and logistical commitment from the Health Systems 20/20 project of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). As part of this project, ANPA has offered to provide technical assistance to facilitate the revision of medical school curricula in Nigeria. With assistance from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, the National Universities Commission (NUC), NIMR, the Diaspora Desk of the FMOH, and the University of Ibadan, the Hon. Minister for Health also inaugurated a committee to serve in an advisory role to the regulatory bodies in Nigeria, whose responsibility it is to revise the medical school curricula. This group also had a very successful meeting between February 15th and 18th 2011. Represented by Drs Igho Ofotokun, Vincent Idemyor and myself, our organization provided perspective on the American medical training. During that meeting, the decision was made to assemble the relevant materials to assist the NUC, MDCN and interested medical schools in Nigeria to begin the long process of curriculum reform. This process will likely take months to years; however we have been fortunate to secure the commitment from USAID and other partners for the duration of this project. We believe that this will be an important long-term investment to rebuild and strengthen the health care sector in Nigeria.

On the home front, preparations are underway for the next Annual Scientific Convention in Chicago. As usual, Professor Scott-Emuakpor and his program committee have put together a solid program. With a powerful theme of Maternal and Child Health, we will certainly attract significant attention from the public and private sectors. The projects described above will require significant financial commitment from our organization. As such, I hereby seek your assistance to begin making the calls to your friends, family, partners and acquaintances that are in the position to provide such assistance, both here and in Nigeria. Our organization will need a lot of financial support for many of these important activities that are underway. We all strongly believe in the activities of our organization to improve healthcare in Nigeria. We now need to communicate that need to our network of sponsors. I strongly believe that our organization can be a positive force for good in Nigeria. However we will need all hands on deck to accomplish this goal, and will need to convince other organizations about the importance of our work. The coming months are likely to be an exciting time for our organization. I will keep you informed as these activities evolve.

Warm Regards

Fiemu E. Nwariaku
ANPA President

Partners in (Nigerian) Health

A report from the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) highlights a new initiative – the Data Inventory and Documentation Initiative (DIDI) – that aims to better align Nigeria’s health survey database with international standards. The report argues that such data “are invaluable resources for statisticians, researchers and analysts”, a statement that could very easily be extended to include benefits for health care professionals. After all, proper cataloging of health information could mean the difference between treating 200 patients today (preventing the spread of a disease) and treating 20,000 patients tomorrow in a full blown epidemic. I admit that this is an extreme example, but then again, health care is all about extremes. We can’t expect any less when we’re dealing so intimately with human life.

In any case, the report identifies the International Household Survey Network (IHSN), the World Bank, *PARIS21, the International Health Facility Assessment Network and USAID, as organizations that will help the FMOH with this transition. **MEASURE Evaluation will provide much of the technical support. In addition, the ministry has requested that data from private surveys (conducted by individuals and organizations) be contributed to the program. In all, it seems like a multi-faceted effort that is well poised to do wonders for the health situation in Nigeria.

It’s an incredibly fortunate coincidence that the FMOH would launch such a program shortly after the appointment of ex-minister of health, Babatunde Osotimehin to the position of Executive Director at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). From such a position, Osotimehin can contribute greatly to programs like DIDI and thankfully, he seems ready to do just that. In a visit to his successor at the ministry (Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu), Osotimehin re-affirmed his dedication to the health sector, promising to “provide more for Nigeria than ever before.” Embracing the sentiment, Chukwu praised the efforts of the ex-minister, asserting that his appointment at the UNFPA was a clear indicator of his exemplary leadership during his tenure.

Photo courtesy of the UNFPA (https://www.unfpa.org/public/home/news/pid/7103)

This alliance is encouraging on multiple levels. Most clearly, it holds great promise for the development of epidemiology and heath care management in Nigeria. In addition, it legitimizes Nigeria’s position as a country that has the potential to be a forerunner in global health. Very importantly, it’s a great example of a smooth hand-over in a leadership position, something that Nigeria doesn’t see very often. Let’s hope that the Nigeria-UNFPA relationship will live up to expectation and ultimately, help programs like DIDI reach their full potential.

* PARIS 21 - Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (Founded in November 1999 by the United Nations)

** MEASURE Evaluation - Monitoring and Evaluation to Assess and Use Results (Program sponsored by USAID)