NEMA to Partner Society for Family Physicians on Health Services

In a bid to prevent unnecessary deaths amongst victims of disasters and emergencies in the country, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said it was set to partner with the Society for Family Physicians of Nigeria in providing health services.

The Director General, Muhammad Sani Sidi, disclosed this when the President of the society led a delegation to the agency recently in Abuja.

The DG, while receiving the team, led by its President, Dr. Akin Moses, commended the line ministries and departments especially Health, Water and Education for taking up their responsibilities in assisting the Internally Displaced Persons in the North-east as opposed to the belief that it was the sole responsibility of NEMA. The DG who was represented by the Director, Relief and Rehabilitation, Kayode Fagbemi disclosed that the agency has been working with doctors before the insurgency and will continue to work with doctors in reducing the health hazards of all the victims of disasters and IDPs.

He stressed that the agency always reached out to victims of disaster in terms of health requirements through Federal or State Ministries of Health, and adding that the agency has been paying for medical referral cases for IDPs in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.

Earlier, the President of the society, Dr. Akin Moses said the purpose of visit was to seek partnership with NEMA in providing health services to victims of disaster and IDPs, as the society is made up of over 1,000 frontline doctors who handle emergency cases across the country.

He explained further that “the society has the capacity to conduct health needs assessment for preventive, curative and rehabilitation of the displaced people in the North East and also to offer medical consultation as well as acting as emergency doctors in the camps and host communities.”