By Doris Obinna
It was a colourful, historic period for Hospital Equipment and Medical Devices Dealers Association of Nigeria (HEMDDAN), the umbrella body of all the healthcare equipment providers in Nigeria, over the weekend as they held their third annual general meeting (AGM) at the Sickle Cell Centre, University of Lagos Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos.
The AGM, among other activities, heralded the unveiling of the first edition of the Healthcare Equipment Magazine and also HEMDDAN’s 2022 award winners.
National president, HEMDDAN, Dr. Ifeanyi Nwankwo, in his welcome address said, if a child is conceived, did not die in the womb or during birth and has survived for three years, the chances are, that the child has determined to live and for that reason, HEMDDAN has survived for three years apart from the incubation period.
“HEMDDAN has come to stay because we have overcome the most difficulties and challenges phase of these years. Since after inauguration in 2019, every year, HEMDDAN is getting better, stronger and bigger. We can only give God the Glory,” he said.
While acknowledging the founding fathers of HEMDDAN for their conviction, zeal, determination and commitment to give birth to the association and nurturing it to this stage, Nwankwo urged all stakeholders to join in actualizing the HEMDDAN dream.
He also tasked all the committees and regional vice president to give account of what they have achieved at the end of every year.
He added: “The only way we can succeed is if we decide to succeed. My promise is that I will continue to remain focused and determined and work seriously to lay a very solid foundation for this association.”
He also appealed to all members to see the association as work in progress, to show commitment and to leave a legacy for today and tomorrow, for themselves and their children.
Speaking on the topic: “Funding and Equipping Government Health Institution: Need, challenges and solutions,” the guest speaker, who is the Chief Medical Director, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Awka, Dr. Joe Akabuike, said funding of government health institutions is done through budget.
According to him, healthcare institutions are to be equipped by governments at all levels, by private initiatives through private public partnership and donor agencies and global partners on health, World Health Organisation (WHO, World Bank), philanthropists and social health insurance.
He said: “Meagre allocations to the health sector adversely affect the health and well being of Nigerians, exacerbate poverty and slow down the country’s economic growth and development. The health sector is where a lot of money is needed because it is generally believed that any investment in the health sector is a direct investment in the overall economic well being of the country.
“Government health institutions are faced with challenges such as poor infrastructure, poor budget allocation/releases, fiscal policies on imported goods and corruption as well as instability in exchange rate of naira and inflation among others.”
While calling for the allocation of 15 per cent of total national and states’ budgets to health with corresponding prompt and adequate approval and releases, he said: “Full implementation of social health insurance which must be mandatory to all residents, this will ensure huge pool of money specifically for the health sector and also public private partnership in health especially in infrastructure (equipment), tax free on imported medical equipment.”
In conclusion, he urged both the public and private sectors to invest in health to prevent the catastrophic consequences of its neglect over years, as health is wealth hence the saying that a healthy man is a wealthy man.
Also, the guest of honour, Director General, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Farouk Salim, said it is the priority of the organisation to save life through quality assurance and standardisation.
He stated: “A lot of people I talk to treat their life like it’s some sort of sentient machine that moves continuously, independently, at its own pace. They feel like cogs in that machine, watching passively as it takes its course. They don’t realise just how much control they actually have over their lives.
“Imagine someone goes to the hospital for treatment and the equipment used in carrying out a test in the process of diagnosing what the issue is with his/her body system is not in calibration? That will be a disaster waiting to happen. The diagnosis will be wrong and the treatment/medication that will be administered to the patient will be wrong and as such will cause more damage to the patient than providing remedy.”
Explaining further, he said, talking of medical devices, it is an instrument, apparatus, implement, machine, implant, in vitro reagent or other similar article that is intended for use in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of disease or other medical conditions.
“Examples of medical devices include but not limited to simple devices like wound dressings and scalpels, durable devices like wheelchairs and dentist chairs, implantable devices like cardiac pacemakers and monitors, prosthetic limbs and prosthetic joints etc.”
He further reiterated that it is an opportunity to introduce to Quality Management System as may be required in the medical devices industry. “A quality management system (QMS) is a set of policies, processes and procedures that help an organisation meet the requirements expected by the stakeholders.”
The National Secretary, Apostle Patrick Umoebe, in his welcome address, stated that HEMDDAN shall continue in its strive to operate within the ambit of all known legal norms.
He said: “Health they say is wealth, healthy persons make up a wealthy society. We are committed to providing Nigeria’s healthcare industries with standard medicaments and modern quality hospital apparatuses.”
Umoebe, who is also chairman, AGM planning committee disclosed that HEMDDAN’s triumph after a short heroic struggle represents one of the most amazing moments in the history.”
Unveiling the HEMDDAN magazine, Nwankwo said: “I promised us that HEMDDAN shall have her own journal like other professionals in the health sector. Today, that promise is fulfilled. The journal is meant to project the image of healthcare equipment business in Nigeria. We are determined to build a formidable union. HEMDDAN journal is the first of its kind in Nigeria.
“Also, part of my plan for 2023 is to complete the foundation phase of HEMDDAN so we can start to lay the building blocks, then the value of this association shall become more visible and appreciated.”
The HEMDDAN 2022 award winners: Chief Medical Director, Federal Medical Centre, Yola, Prof. Auwal M. Abubakar and Akabuike received the excellent award, while founder/Managing Director, JNC International, Mrs. Clare Omatseye; CEO/Managing Director, Minjirya Health Services Ltd, Kano, Alh. Mustapha Husain Falaki and Managing Director, Agary Pharmaceutical Ltd, Callistus Ubajaka received distinguished leadership awards.
One of the recipients, Abubakar, while thanking the organisers of the award, said it is an honour to be honoured by the association. He said: “It is a privilege that our hospital is recognised. Collaboration is key, reason dealers of these medical devices usually collaborate with us. Even when the funds are limited, they give us good payment plans that ensure that our populace gets access to a lot of equipment for diagnosis, treatment and the impact cannot be measured.”