Health
New Taraba NMA chair pledges better welfare for doctors
Justin Tyopuusu
The newly elected Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association, Taraba State Branch, Dr Bitrus-Atizwen Daniel, has pledged to prioritise members’ welfare, strengthen engagement with the government and improve healthcare delivery in the state, promising to lead the association with integrity, transparency and accountability.
This was contained in a statement issued on Sunday in Jalingo by the newly elected Public Relations Officer of the association, Dr Bright Ekhibise, and made available to journalists.
According to the statement, Daniel made the pledge shortly after emerging chairman during the association’s Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference held in Jalingo on Saturday, where he succeeded the outgoing chairman, Dr Adamu Kara, following the completion of his tenure.
The statement quoted Daniel as describing his election as both an honour and a solemn responsibility and thanked members for entrusting him with the leadership of the association.
“I accept this responsibility with deep humility and a profound sense of duty. I pledge to lead this association with integrity, transparency and accountability, always placing the welfare of our members and the advancement of healthcare in Taraba State at the forefront of our efforts.
“This election has produced no losers. We have all emerged stronger because our shared commitment to the growth and unity of the Nigeria Medical Association remains our greatest victory,” the statement quoted Daniel as saying.
The statement further quoted Daniel as paying tribute to the outgoing executive committee for laying what he described as a solid foundation and assuring members that his administration would consolidate on existing achievements while tackling unresolved challenges confronting doctors in the state.
Daniel identified increasing workload, a shortage of medical personnel, brain drain, inadequate health infrastructure, security concerns and rising expectations from the public as major issues facing the medical profession, noting that addressing the challenges would require purposeful, courageous and inclusive leadership.
“The increasing workload on doctors, shortage of medical personnel, brain drain, inadequate health infrastructure and security challenges demand purposeful, courageous and inclusive leadership. We will engage constructively with government and all relevant stakeholders to address these issues.
“Our administration will prioritise members’ welfare, encourage continuous professional development and ensure that the voices of doctors are heard on matters affecting healthcare delivery and public health in Taraba State,” Daniel stated.
The chairman also promised an open-door leadership style, urging members across all cadres, including house officers, medical officers, resident doctors, consultants and private practitioners, to work together in building a more united, vibrant and influential association.
Earlier, the outgoing chairman, Kara, said his administration inherited the association with a negative account balance, forcing the executive to depend largely on members’ dues and, at times, borrow funds to sustain activities.
“We assumed office with a negative account balance and had to rely mainly on members’ dues and, on some occasions, borrow funds to keep the association running. Despite these challenges, we remained committed to protecting the interests of our members,” Kara said.
He, however, said the administration remained focused on protecting members’ interests despite financial constraints, adding that efforts were made to offset debts inherited from previous annual conferences while ensuring members received financial and moral support during bereavement, illness and other critical moments.
He urged members to support the new leadership, stressing that unresolved challenges such as poor working conditions, manpower shortages, inadequate infrastructure and sustainable funding required continuity and collective commitment.
“The challenges of poor working conditions, manpower shortages, inadequate infrastructure and sustainable funding cannot be solved by one administration alone. I urge every member to support the new leadership for the benefit of our profession and the people we serve,” Kara added.
In his report presented at the meeting, the outgoing chairman said the association’s membership fluctuated throughout his tenure due to brain drain, poor remuneration and unfavourable working conditions, resulting in inconsistent payment of monthly dues.
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