On Thursday June 18 2015, Nigeria Health Watch invites you to join health professionals, health enthusiasts, government agencies and the media to articulate our hopes and aspirations for the Nigerian health sector following the historic 2015 presidential elections. We will do so at a conference titled ‘The Future of Health’. The conference will hold at the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre and will host speakers from the public, private and non-governmental sectors, seeking solutions to some of the most complex problems facing the sector.
The Nigerian health sector has not kept pace with the exponential growth seen in other sectors of the Nigerian economy. The sector has been grossly underfunded, with a shortage of skilled healthcare practitioners and poor quality of service in many public and private health establishments. Constant disagreements among health sector professionals and repeated industrial actions and strikes have further led to the perception of doom and a loss of confidence by many Nigerians.
Despite this challenging backdrop, some positive strides have been made. There are inspiring stories from across the country of people doing amazing things. The Future of Health Conference will bring together inspiring speakers that are responding to some of the toughest challenges facing the Nigerian health sector from the public, private and non-governmental sectors.Speakers will reflect the breadth of the sector and put forward ideas that we hope will help meet the hopes and aspirations of Nigerians and contribute to setting the agenda for the incoming administration.
We have three main objectives. The first is to ensure the prominence of health on the agenda of the new government. With the multiple challenges facing our country, it is often easy to relegate the health sector to the background as we grapple with issues like power, security and infrastructure. While these are all important areas to improve, they are of little value if we are not healthy. A second objective is to ignite change in the Nigerian health sector by providing a forum where those in the health sector can air their ideas and proffer solutions. It is our hope that ideas generated will be translated into decisive action after the conference. The third objective of this conference is to seek consensus on the priorities for the Nigerian health sector after the historic 2015 elections.
We invite all of you, Nigerian health sector professionals, those working in academic and research institutions, non-governmental organisations, our bilateral and multi-lateral development partners, journalists covering the health beat and other stakeholders in the Nigerian health sector, as well as anyone with a broad interest in health, to join us at the Future of Health Conference and help begin the process of re-imagining and rebuilding the Nigerian health sector. Now is not the time to sit on the fence.
The Future of Health Conference will take place on Thursday 18 June 2015 from 1 p.m. at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in the city of Abuja. To register or to find out more, visit www.epiafric.com/conferences. The Conference is free but registration is required. Registration opens today, Tuesday 19 May 2015. Please note that seats are limited, so register early.
Contact Us
For more information about The Future of Health Conference please contact EpiAfric’s media team at events@epiafric.com.
Twitter handle: @nighealthwatch, Conference hashtag: #NgHlth15
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Visit us at www.nigeriahealthwatch.com