The Least We Can Do Is Take Our Knowledge Home!

Remarks By Ofunne Omo Obaze, MD

Chairperson, Association of Nigerian Physicians in America, New Jersey Chapter, (ANPA_NJ) at the Association’s 2010 Fundraising Gala, 29 May 2010, Livingston, NJ

Ofunne Omo Obaze, MD

Dear Colleagues and friends: Welcome our Third Bi-annual fundraising gala. My formal welcome message is in the brochure before you, so I will be brief in my oral remarks. ANPA, the association of Nigerian physicians in the Americas has been in existence for 16 years; and ANPA-NJ, one of its nine chapters, is eight years old. Since its inception, ANPA-NJ, has held two fundraising galas and hosted a National Convention in 2006. Sadly, we have also lost two foundation members, late Dr. Enyi Okereke and Dr. Larry Egbuchulam, whom we honor today.

As mentioned in the brochure, ANPA-NJ has not been as active as we would have liked, but rest assured that we are working our way back. We thank you all for joining us at this event, as we embark on the daunting task of “improving health care in Nigeria one person at a time”. That task seems huge and insurmountable; but such a challenge is not sufficient to deter or discourage us from trying. After all, what is the alternative? Nigeria’s healthcare system is badly broken and needs fixing. We all agree that the state of healthcare in Nigeria cannot continue as it is now. We in ANPA must play our part and we can only do so with your unrelenting support.

Our professional colleagues in Nigeria are doing their best, under mitigating circumstances. Ironically, the alternative to good healthcare has become churches and other less desirable methods, which we shall not discuss. We therefore, cannot, ignore the tasks before us. The red contours that bestride the map of Nigeria on the cover of this brochure figuratively speak to the broad areas of unmet healthcare needs in Nigeria. As a pediatrician and a parent, I find it perturbing, that in Nigeria, one child in five dies before their fifth birthday, which totals nearly 900,000 deaths annually.

Never before on our world, have we all needed help from each other as we do now. In our increasingly interlinked world, the poor countries get poorer and the nations richer. Those of us gathered here, are lucky to live in a society where healthcare is easily accessible. Often, we take for granted, the fact that we have transportation, either personal or ambulances, to get us to the closest emergency healthcare center in minutes, if need be. Imagine a woman going into a complicated labor in a place where it takes 2 hours to get to the nearest healthcare unit, and even when there, finding no available help. We can help in some small ways; to help those who cannot help themselves.

The various natural disasters around the globe have highlighted the need and utility of medical missions and brought to the forefront prevailing challenges. The earthquake disaster in Haiti was massive, but smaller disasters also happen daily.

Your generous assistance over the years has helped us in our undertaking medical missions to Nigeria, at the chapter and at national levels. In 2005, we had a successful mission to Onitsha, led by Drs. Adeniyi Ogunkoya and the late Dr. Enyi Okereke. We envisage undertaking several other missions in the near future. Saving one life in the end could mean saving 10 to 20 more lives. These medical missions help immensely; and there are always stories of gratitude out there.

Not long ago, I received a phone call about an ailing aunt, believed to be battling chronic arthritis because she had great difficulty walking around due to her swollen feet. Also, she tired easily. I could tell that the problem was her heart. I referred my relatives to ANPA doctors then undertaking a Medical Mission in Imo State. She was seen, diagnosed and started on the required medications. She feels so much better and the “arthritis” seems to have disappeared. The irony is that the ailment would have been addressed rather easily, had the facilities been available. It is rather sad that I had to wait for a medical mission to get her appropriate help. Many Nigerians without contacts fall through the crack daily; a fact that underlines the prevailing levels of healthcare unmet needs.

From where I am standing, and being a regular visitor to Nigeria, and like you all, having heard horror stories of wasted lives, due to poor healthcare, I know we can do much more. Yes, we can! Yes, we can help in some small ways; to help those who cannot help themselves. Simply put, we need help in Nigeria. We need to put a functional healthcare system in place, no matter how small. We can bring much-needed hope to various communities in need of urgent healthcare. We can do so by taking one small step at a time. As I said before, the least we can do is take our knowledge home!

I told a story of a relative who benefited from an ANPA Mission. They are many more stories out there, be it in matters of dental, health, orthopedics, cardiology, or OBGYN. The slide show that will be running through out this event features much of ANPA’s work. In addition, our dear senior colleague, Dr. Ferdinand Ofodile, who is our keynote speaker, will highlight what we have done and what we need to do doing.

Today, we will also acknowledge and honor some of our dear colleagues, who gave so much to ANPA, but are no longer with us. We will honor two of our foundation members, late Dr. Enyi Okereke and Dr. Larry Egbuchulam. However, before we proceed, I want to exercise my executive privilege in placing on record, our collective gratitude and my personal thanks to Dr. Patrick Bamgboye, who was out Chairman, Ad Interim at the most difficult time. His wisdom, simplicity and forthrightness, saw us through and we thanks him immensely. In addition, I would like to invite to the podium, Dr. Adeniyi Ogunkoya and his darling wife, Kofo. Niyi, was our first Chapter Chairman and has done so much for this association. On behalf of ANPA, we want to place on record formally, our gratitude to him for his steadfastness with his appreciation plaque. We also thank Mrs. Koyo Ogunkoya, for lending him to us.

Thank you all for coming this evening despite your other obligations. Thank you all for helping us in achieving these goals, so far. We hope we can continue to count on your support. At our next gala, we hope to bring to you an update on how your contributions have helped. Until then, remember the less fortunate and help in any way you can. Giving hope to someone is priceless. Enjoy yourselves and please, do get home safely. Have a good evening. [End]

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culled from

http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201006090132289

Nigerian doctors in New Jersey on medical mission
By Niyi Akinnaso Wednesday, 9 Jun 2010
VIEW POINT JUNE 9, 2010 They had a fundraising gala at the prestigious Westminster Hotel in Livingston, New Jersey, on Saturday, May 29, 2010 to realize a specific mission, ”Improving healthcare in Nigeria, one person at a time”. They are members of the New Jersey chapter of the Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas. They share ANPA‘s vision, ”A healthier Nigeria in a healthier world”. In her welcome message, the association‘s chairperson, Dr. Ofunne Omo Obaze, put the importance of medical missions in global perspective: ”The various natural disasters around the globe have highlighted the need and utility of medical missions and brought to the forefront, prevailing challenges. The earthquake disaster in Haiti was massive, but smaller disasters also happen daily. Simply put, we need help in Nigeria. We need to put a functional healthcare system in place, no matter how small. The least we can do is take our knowledge home!” They gathered to raise funds to honor this call as they did during various medical missions to Nigeria, in which their members had participated, either as a group or in collaboration with other associations or groups. A video of the association‘s last medical mission to Onitsha ran throughout the evening, featuring various doctors and paramedical staff at work with patients. A major highlight of the gala was the keynote speech by a world-renowned member of the association, Dr. Ferdinand Ofodile, who is a clinical Professor of Surgery at Columbia University and Chief of Plastic Surgery at Harlem Hospital in New York. He compared the Nigerian health system to a description of one foreigner‘s first impression of approaching Murtala Muhammed International Airport, where ”chaos and urban decay come flying at visitors like paper scraps in a windstorm”. He highlighted the poor state of Nigeria‘s health system with statistics. The Federal Government expenditure on health is a woeful 1.5 percent of its budget. Only 4.6 per cent of GDP is expended on healthcare in the country, whereas Ghana expends 6.2; South Africa 8.7; and the USA 16 per cent. Accordingly, life expectancy is rising elsewhere, with the USA at nearly 80 years, whereas it is falling in Nigeria, currently to below 47 years. Moreover, while infant mortality has dropped to single digits per thousand births in countries with adequate and efficient healthcare systems, it has been rising in Nigeria, where it is close to 100 per thousand. Professor Ofodile‘s conclusions follow from these statistics: ”Because of the paltry budget, there is poor investment in infrastructure. There are undertrained and insufficient numbers of healthcare workers, and there is inadequate supply of drugs. Poor health policy has resulted in a tepid response to pandemic infections, such as HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria, etc.” So, what to do? Here is Professor Ofodile‘s recommendation: ”If we want things to change, we in the Diaspora can no longer wait for the people at home. We must take the lead. We must be engaged in sufficient numbers and we must be prepared for the long haul, because as the theme of this event has aptly stated, we should plan on improving the healthcare system one person at a time.” Having organized medical missions to Haiti twice annually for ten years, he sure knew what he was saying. What should have been a low moment of the night was turned into a source of inspiration. Two departed members of the association, Dr. Enyi Okereke (orthopedic surgeon) and Dr. Lawrence Egbuchulam (internist, geriatrician), were memorialized in moving tributes and videos. Dr. Okereke‘s children spoke about continuing their father‘s legacy and invited guests to the second annual Enyi MD Foundation event in October. Dr. Okereke had established the foundation to provide training and facilities for emergency medical services in Nigeria. In planning for its next medical mission, the association is looking for an existing health project or unmet healthcare needs in an area of Nigeria that its members could work on within the short time permitted by their job obligations in the United States. I left the party shortly after midnight and hit the highway on a nearly three-hour drive back home. As I drove alone along the Garden State Parkway and later the New Jersey Turnpike, there was plenty of room for my mind to wander and wonder about Nigeria. Noticing the consistent brightness of the lights along the highways, side roads, and rest areas, I wondered if my forthcoming seminar in a Nigerian university could be conducted without power outage. I wondered when I would be able to drive in Nigeria during the wee hours of the night, without tumbling into a ditch due to bumps or potholes on the road or running into armed robbers. What emergency numbers would I call if I needed help? Is a trauma centre available anywhere? This immediately led to thoughts about healthcare delivery woes in Nigeria. I recalled the loss of my first two children even before they were born. I thought about numerous cases of birth traumas and injuries, including the case of Samuel Oji, who was injured by the surgeon‘s knife as reported in the May 21, 2010, edition of Punch. I reflected on mis- and under-diagnosis of relatives, friends, and acquaintances, including the late Yinka Craig and Gani Fawehinmi. I had flashbacks about inadequate infrastructure, poor medical facilities, fake drugs, and abusive nurses. On the one hand, medical missions to Nigeria make sense against the above backgrounds. On the other hand, however, the question needs to be raised as to how long Nigeria would continue to be treated like a disaster zone to which periodic medical missions are needed. There are also questions as to how much medical missions could accomplish beyond providing temporary intervention. This is why it may be more profitable in the long run for ANPA to consider the provision of permanent structures and enduring medical practices in Nigeria. Perhaps the best path to follow in achieving this goal is to work with private partners – oil companies, multinational corporations, banking institutions, funding agencies, and philanthropists – to build, equip, and staff one hospital at a time. Such a hospital or hospitals could function as the base for future medical missions, until such a time when such missions are no longer necessary. Professor Akinnaso teaches Anthropology and Linguistics at Temple University, Philadelphia, United States.
See also http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201006090132289