The NMAKWARA Journal
Mediscope is out!!! |
ABOUT NMA
The
Nigerian Medical Association is the largest medical
association in the west African sub-region with over 35,000
members from 36 state branches and the branch from the
Federal capital Territory. 70% of doctors practice in urban
areas where only 30% of the population reside. The
population of Nigeria is about 130 million. Policy decisions
are made by the Association's National Executive Council
(NEC) which is the governing body. The constitution of NMA
is supreme and its provisions shall have binding force on
all authorities, organs, branches and members of the
Association and, where applicable, on any other persons. Any
medical or dental practitioner registered under the Medical
and Dental Practitioners' Act CAP 221 Laws of the Federation
of Nigeria(1990) and as subsequently amended shall have a
right of membership of the Association on payment of the
annual practising fee in the said Act as may be reviewed
from time to time, unless otherwise prescribed herein in the
constitution. The National Executive Council is the
governing body of the Association and has full powers to act
on its behalf in the period between the Annual Delegates'
Meetings in accordance with the provisions of the
Constitution of the Association unless otherwise stated in
the constitution.
Although
the Association is involved in many of the government's
activities, it is consulted formally by the government only
on an 'ad-hoc' basis. It is not consulted as 'of right' on
health issues and has to press for its participation. The
Association nominates eleven members of the Medical & Dental
Council of Nigeria which regulates the practice of medicine
& dentistry in Nigeria and the curricula of its medical
schools.
The NMA is
at present involved in influencing health policy formulation
in an ad hoc manner. This is done by making unsolicited
recommendations to government on various health issues and
also by making inputs, whenever invited, to some of the
national committee meetings on policy formulations.
The
Association holds training courses for doctors, and
participates in radio programmes and TV talk shows. It has
several on-going projects including those on AIDS, on family
planning and on primary health care. Project development is
dependent upon outside funding. Funding agencies supporting
the Association's activities include UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO,
USAID, The Ford Foundation, and the John D and Catherine T
MacArthur Foundation.
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