Health
Physicians urge stronger action against non-communicable diseases
Ademola Adegbite and Gabriel Oshokha
The Nigerian chapter of the West African College of Physicians on Monday called for stronger partnerships, innovation and investment in healthcare to tackle growing challenges, including brain drain, non-communicable diseases and future pandemics.
The National Chairman of the chapter, Prof. Benjamin Uzochukwu, made the call during a press conference ahead of the college’s 50th Annual General and Scientific Meeting, held at Theophilus Ogunlesi Hall B, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State.
Uzochukwu said the conference would bring together more than 400 medical experts, researchers and policymakers to discuss the future of healthcare delivery and specialist training in West Africa.
He added that the college had trained 4,654 medical specialists, making significant contributions to healthcare delivery across Nigeria and the West African sub-region.
He said, “Fifty years ago in this city of Ibadan, a handful of physicians lit a candle. They did not wait for perfect conditions. They did not wait for permission. They simply started. Today, that candle has become a flame that illuminates specialist medical training across Nigeria and West Africa. Our duty is clear: to keep that flame burning, to add our own fuel, and to pass it to the next generation brighter than we found it.
“Since its inception, the WACP has trained 4,654 fellows across its six faculties. This represents a substantial contribution to the specialist workforce in the region, physicians who serve as consultants, educators, researchers, health administrators and policy leaders throughout Nigeria and the West African sub-region.
“The Nigerian chapter is the largest constituency of the college, coordinating specialist training across six medical specialties: Community Health, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Laboratory Medicine, Paediatrics and Psychiatry.
“This landmark conference, themed ‘Building Bridges, Forging Resilience and Partnership in Health,’ brings together more than 400 fellows, members and international collaborators from across Nigeria from July 5 to 11, 2026.
“As we look towards the next 50 years, we are embracing digital transformation while addressing emerging challenges in healthcare delivery. The college continues to modernise its training and assessment processes. We are preparing specialists to utilise digital health, telemedicine, health informatics and Artificial Intelligence safely, ethically and effectively.
“We are committed to building stronger bridges between specialist training and healthcare service delivery, research and health policy, and collaboration with governments, universities, teaching hospitals and sister postgraduate medical colleges across Africa.
“The WACP is strengthening mentorship, peer support and resilience training within specialist programmes while working with training institutions to foster healthier learning and working environments.”
Uzochukwu added that the conference would feature a community medical outreach targeting about 500 residents of Kasumu Ajia and surrounding communities, using Kasumu Ajia General Hospital as the hub.
He said the outreach would provide screening and treatment for malaria, hypertension, diabetes, peptic ulcer disease, refractive errors, dental conditions and surgical conditions such as hernia and lipoma.
He warned that the continued migration of healthcare professionals, economic pressures and emerging disease threats remained major obstacles to quality healthcare, stressing the need for collective action to build a more resilient health sector.
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