ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIAN PHYSICIANS IN THE AMERICAS (ANPA)
AND
NIGERIAN ASSOCIATION OF PHARMACISTS AND PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENTISTS IN THE AMERICAS (NAPPSA)
JOINT POST-CONFERENCE COMMUNIQUE
This conference was held at Caesar’s Palace Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, from June 22 to 26, 2016. It was attended by over 600 Physicians, Pharmacists, Pharmaceutical Scientists, and Nurses from the USA, Canada, Great Britain, and Nigeria. At the end of the conference, the following resolutions were unanimously approved by the leadership of both organizations:
1. Every effort must be made to promote an environment of cooperation among all professional bodies involved in Healthcare in Nigeria.
2. The cooperation that now exists between ANPA, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Medical Association of Nigerians across Great Britain (MANSAG), Canadian Association of Nigerian Physicians and Dentists (CANPAD), Nigerian Association of Pharmacists and Pharmaceutical Scientists in the Americas (NAPPSA), and National Association of Nigerian Nurses in North America (NANNNA), must be fostered and strengthened.
3. Together we all need to mobilize our resources of ideas in promoting Good Healthcare Practice in Nigeria. By so doing we will provide needed leadership in the fight against professional chauvinism in Nigeria.
4. We need to continue to expand our engagement with the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), the National Universities Commission (NUC), the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria and other statutory professional boards, by making available the enormous expertise available in our combined membership.
5. Next year, we will focus our attention on establishing a combined “Governmental Affairs” Committee that will join hands with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) in intensifying advocacy efforts with the Nigerian National Assembly.
6. We will continue and enhance the existing collaboration among our organizations and agencies of the Federal government such as NAFDAC, NIPRD, NIMR, NACA, etc. to facilitate development of innovative and collaborative healthcare systems.
7. We will continue to encourage the Nigerian government and our professional colleagues in Nigeria to make exhaustive efforts at resolving disputes via dialogue to avoid the disruptive impact of “STRIKE” actions on the welfare of the nation, the economy and overall professional development.
8. We will plan Leadership Training workshops during Executive Committee Meetings of NMA, PSN and other professional healthcare bodies. Good Leadership does the right things and drives innovations.
9. We must continue to create pathways in healthcare to promote public confidence in the services we give and ensure a patient-centered approach healthcare services.
10. Without a trusting relationship and full cooperation of all care-givers, our efforts may be ultimately meaningless no matter how well meaning.
11. We must together continue to redefine our priorities as circumstances dictate and as opportunities present themselves.
12. We intend to continue these joint conferences on a regular basis as deemed appropriate by all participants.
13. We will work towards holding a similar inter-professional conference in Nigeria to provide an opportunity to integrate our partner Nigerian societies into the inter-professional dialog.