Our Time Together…
Professor Benedict Nwomeh, Professor of Paediatric Surgery and Global Epidemiology gave the Professor Ajovi Scott-Emuakpor Lecture at the just concluded ANPA conference in Lagos and invited the audience to consider the possibility that the flutter of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil could cause a Tsunami in Vietnam. How on this earth is that even possible?
MANSAG Local Organising Committee is energetically preparing for the 2025 Educational Symposium and Annual Charity Ball in Leeds on Saturday 3 May. We are privileged that the Mayor of Leeds, Her Worshipful Councillor Marshall will open the Symposium in the presence of the Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, His Excellency Ambassador Maidugu. Both dignitaries will also attend the Annual Charity Ball to award the Annual Travel Grants to successful members.
The year’s symposium is rich and varied and will cater to the professional, social and welfare needs of all our members irrespective of their experience or career stage. During the three plenary sessions, we will learn from university academics, policy makers and clinical leaders about aspects of Leadership in Education and Research. We will also run workshops focused on Financial Health, Emotional Wellbeing, GMC Good Medical Practice, Research and Publications, Art, Medical Ethics, Welfare and of course, presentation of Abstracts. We are delighted that we will have a Masterclass in Educational Leadership from Professor Charles Egbu, Vice Chancellor of Leeds Trinity University. Your executive committee has listened to your feedback from previous symposia and have designed this year’s event to reflect your suggestions. I look forward to welcoming you to the amazing networking opportunities that this year’s Education Symposium and Charity Ball in Leeds affords us. If you have not registered, please do so now through this link:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/2025-mansag-spring-education-symposium-and-charity-ball-tickets-1269537794719?msockid=296305bdbb3c6e282a9b10ccba876f31
On a policy level, MANSAG was instrumental to the ministerial announcement that SCALE has been endorsed as a framework for engaging MANSAG members and their UK colleagues to deliver specialist medical care to Nigerian citizens. SCALE stands for Strengthening Collaborations and Advancing cLinical Excellence. At the Global Health Partnerships Summit focused on Africa held in March, The Nigerian Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare stated that SCALE, an initiative by MANSAG, will be vital for addressing the inequity in the health work force created by health worker migration. Dr Oboh and the Diaspora Engagement Committee will be developing the process through which we can all contribute to the Nigerian Health System via the SCALE initiative.
Many of us would have been part of our national webinars recently. The Leadership Academy online seminar on the theme of EDI and Emotional Intelligence for effective and inclusive leadership was incredibly insightful. We had almost 100 registrants at the webinar and gained from the expertise of our three speakers, Mr Etule, Ms Colligan and Dr Oginni. We thank them for their time and contribution to the leadership aspirations of our members. We also held the second webinar in our bite sized lunch time series on engaging our MANSAG community in research. Our research committee meets regularly with Professor Patel at the University of Oxford Centre for Research Equity to raise awareness of how our members can avail themselves of the variety of opportunities for engaging and conducting research. I am grateful to Professors Jaiyesimi and Okike for their efforts in organising these webinars. Please look out for more webinars and participate in them.
I was also excited to be with the MANSAG West Midlands Chapter (in spirit) as they held their first in person meeting this year at a restaurant in Birmingham. Dr Ariba and Dr Fanny-Iklaki the chapter co- leads must be congratulated for being amongst the first chapters to hold a networking event for their members. I look forward seeing other chapters organise in person events for their members. Please approach the executive committee for support if as chapter lead, you need it.
Every year the Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas (ANPA) hold medical mission outreach programmes in Nigeria. This year it was combined with their National Convention to which the Presidents of sister diaspora organisations were invited. I was overwhelmed by the welcome that I received by my hosts and by the willingness of many healthcare organisations, businesses, and policy makers across the globe to engage with MANSAG. I left the convention confident that we will soon begin to roll out the MANSAG STAR* projects in partnerships with eight Nigerian University Teaching Hospitals, on Diabetes – Abuja; Emergency Medicine- Benin; Care of the Elderly – Lagos; Cardiovascular Surgery – Ibadan and Enugu; Maternity and Neonatal Care -Zaria and Women’s Health – Nnewi in the very near future. There was synergy with many of our diaspora colleagues that the STAR* structured approach on quality improvement and sustainable skills transfer is what required for an impactful change in the health outcomes for the citizens of Nigeria.
During my visit to Lagos, I paid a courtesy call on the UCH Ibadan Management Team and explored how we can help renew their cardio thoracic surgical service to be once again, world class. Please see a short video of the visit on this link
https://www.facebook.com/UCHIBADAN/videos/23885536761052759/?mibextid=rS40a-B7S9Ucbxw6v
On an incredibly sad note, I announce the passing of one of MANSAG’s Associate members, Mrs Judith Uzoma Anazodo. She leaves behind Cosmas a MANSAG Stalwart in the MANSAG Manchester Chapter and two young children. Her funeral service will be held on Friday 25 April 2025 at St Georges Church Chorley PR7 2AA at 12:00 Noon. Please I urge the MANSAG family in Manchester and all others across the country to attend and show support to Cosmas and his family at their time of immense grief.
Dates for your dairy:
- Friday 25 April: Funeral Service Mrs Judith Anazodo
Venue and Time: St Georges Church Chorley PR7 2AA 12:00 - Friday 25 April: Networking Event
Venue and Time: East of England MANSAG Chapter 19:30 - Saturday 26 April: MANSAG Town Hall Meeting
Venue and Time: Eventbrite Registration. Online 16:00 -17:00 - Saturday 3 May: MANSAG Education Symposium and Charity Ball
Venue and Time: Village Hotel Tingley Leeds South LS27 0TS 08:00
And finally,
The clear message from my visit to Lagos is the power of the passion and commitment that we doctors, pharmacists, allied health professionals, nurses, and midwives bring to improve the health care infrastructure in our home country Nigeria. Your organisation, MANSAG, is working hard to harness and leverage all that passion, the myriads of individual butterfly wing flutters, to become a powerful movement, a force, indeed a tsunami that will become a beacon of hope to transform the health care needs for the underserved communities of Nigeria and the globe. I invite you to join this global movement.
Do remember to book your tickets to the MANSAG Education Symposium and Chairty Ball. They are selling fast.
Until next time….
Jide,
Dr. Jide Menakaya
President MANSAG