Healthcare Emergency System is a critical component of the health delivery service of every nation. The conventional practice is for this system service to be provided by private professional companies but regulated by the host nation government. This is the standard as obtainable worldwide.
So it is in this light that Pfizer Plc identified with the Association Of Good Clinical Practice in Nigeria (AGCPN) and both bodies organised a 2-day seminar/workshop on Emergency Health System in Africa. The seminar was well attended by experts on the subject matter.
President of the AGCPN and Professor of Radiation Medicine at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Prof. Ifeoma Okoye, said the need for an effective and efficient health emergency system is indispensable, to the overall healthcare service delivery.
Prof. Okoye strongly believes that continuous neglect of health emergency will have negative effect across broad spectrum in the health sector.
This is the way Prof. Ifeoma puts it;
“There is the need for capacity development both human and infrastructure, with clinical trial as a fulcrum towards addressing future public health emergencies in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“There is the need for close collaboration between public and private establishments/sectors in Sub-Saharan Africa towards combating and reducing mortality and morbidity.
Another prominent expert at the seminar and a former INEC Chairman, Prof. Maurice Iwu, stressed on the need to enhance modulation in tracking diseases as well as the introduction of microbiota system.
He believes there must be a strong united front in improving healthcare emergency in the sector for optimum results.
Generally, participant after participant ultimately concluded that governmental effort (Federal or state) alone may not yield much result. Hence the need for more interest by NGOs and private partners to support clinical trials and research generally across Sub-Saharan Africa. This is position of Pfizer Plc in the scheme of health delivery in Nigeria.
