BENIN CITY, NIGERIA – The Association of Catholic Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (ACMPN), has advocated a more proactive approach in scaling up of Natural Family Planning services and enhancement of training in Natural Proactive Technology (NaPro Technology); for effective management of infertility in the country.
The appeal was contained in a communiqué issued by the association at the end of its 13th Annual Scientific Conference and General Meeting (AGM), held, recently at the Bishop Kelly Pastoral Centre, Benin City, Edo State.
The communiqué was signed by Dr. Emmanuel Okechukwu and Dr. Agbo Hadiza Abigail, National President and National Secretary of the association, respectively.
Deliberating on the theme: The Lassa Fever epidemic and the control of nosocomial infections among health workers; the participants condemned in strong terms the wanton destruction of lives and properties and displacement of people from their homes by “invaders like Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen.” Noting that life is a sacred gift of God from conception to old age, the association called on government at all levels in the country to ensure adequate protection of life and property of all Nigerians, in all parts of the country, irrespective of their ethnic and religious differences.
On the issue of health challenges in the country, the communiqué advocated that “appropriate technical know-how and management prowess are required in addressing the contextual health challenges of people and communities across Nigeria such as recurring epidemics of Lassa Fever and other infectious diseases.”
The statement continued: “It is unacceptable that knowledge and techniques have not led to remarkable improvements in the
prevention and control of common and emerging diseases.
All governments in the country, the Church and all health
professionals are implored to lend their concerns and efforts in this direction.”
Other areas the communiqué focused on include: the need for Catholic medical personnel to uphold the teachings of the Catholic doctrine in the discharge of their official and professional responsibilities and the “need for continuing constructive engagement between faith-based health systems and the governments at the federal and state levels to ensure the development of Catholic hospitals with capacity for specialized care and residency training”.
The association, while condemning the exploitation of the Nigerian public by quacks and charlatans in the medical field, commended the “incorporation of three scientific methods of natural family planning into the national training curriculum and service protocol for health workers” by the Federal Ministry of Health.