Medical Social Workers under the aegis of Association of Medical Social Workers of Nigeria (AMSWON), have called on the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency ensure the involvement of trained professionals in the day- to -day management of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps across the country.
The National President of the association, Alhaji Abubakar Alhasan Bichi, who made the call at the 2016 Socio-Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting of the association, lamented that the IDPs’ camps have been turned to death camps for the inhabitants.
He said the rate at which people are suffering in the camps is highly regrettable, stating that those who are in charge of the camps are only enriching their own pockets at the expense of the people.
Present at the AGM tagged, “Service delivery and Professionalisation: Implications for the Socially Insecure Persons in Nigeria”, include the Minister of State for Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, who was represented by the Chief Medical Director, National Orthopedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos, Dr. O. O. Odunubi, Heads of Medical Social Work Departments of Federal Tertiary Health Institutions, state government owned hospitals, universities health services and private hospitals, health related Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), from states across the country.
According to Bichi, the suffering of the IDPs prompted the call by the association to solicit for the well being of those in the camps across the country.
He said trained and certified Medical Social Workers, Social Workers and Psychologists, who have been trained to provide psycho-social support to patients should be involved in the provision of the necessary needs to those at the camp and not just any how people who may not know what is involved in taking care of the IDPs.
Bichi stated that medical social work is a profession which seeks to facilitate the well being of the individuals, community and societies, noting that it must be given the adequate recognition it deserves.
Bichi then called for the urgent passage of the Social Work Bill which is presently before the National Assembly, urging President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to it as soon as it is passed in order to help Social Workers perform their duties as expected.
Comments