By Esther Sangodele
The Nigerian Chapter of the West African College of Physicians (WACP) has announced a free medical outreach for 500 residents of Oyo State as part of activities marking its 50th Annual General and Scientific Meeting (AGSM) holding in Ibadan.
The week-long conference, which began on July 5 and will end on July 11 at the University of Ibadan International Conference Centre, is themed “Building Bridges, Forging Resilience and Partnership in Health.”
Addressing journalists in Ibadan on Monday, Chairman of the Nigeria Chapter of WACP and Vice-President of the College, Prof. Benjamin Uzochukwu, said the golden jubilee conference would bring together over 400 fellows, members and international collaborators to deliberate on the future of specialist medical education and healthcare delivery in West Africa.
He said the conference would feature a community medical outreach targeting about 500 residents of Kasumu Ajia and surrounding communities, with Kasumu Ajia General Hospital serving as the operational hub.
According to him, beneficiaries will receive free screening and treatment for malaria, hypertension, diabetes, peptic ulcer disease, refractive eye conditions, dental ailments and common surgical conditions such as hernia and lipoma.
Uzochukwu described the conference as a symbolic return to Ibadan, where the College was founded in 1976, saying it offers an opportunity to celebrate five decades of contributions to specialist medical training while honouring its founding fathers.
He noted that the College has produced 4,654 fellows across six medical specialties: Community Health, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Laboratory Medicine, Paediatrics and Psychiatry, who now serve as consultants, researchers, educators, health administrators and policy experts across West Africa.
The WACP chairman said discussions at the conference would focus on leveraging technology to improve healthcare delivery, with scientific sessions on reimagining medical training through smart technology, improving patient experience and building financially sustainable health systems.
He disclosed that the College is embracing digital health, telemedicine, health informatics and artificial intelligence to modernise specialist training and prepare physicians for emerging healthcare challenges.
Despite the achievements, Uzochukwu expressed concern over the persistent migration of medical specialists, inflation and the rising burden of non-communicable diseases, warning that the region must also prepare for future pandemics.
“Brain drain continues to strip our hospitals of experienced specialists. Inflation erodes the real value of our salaries, while the next pandemic is not a matter of if but when,” he said.
He, however, stressed that the College remains committed to strengthening partnerships with governments, universities, teaching hospitals, development agencies and professional bodies to build resilient health systems across the region.
Uzochukwu expressed appreciation to the Oyo State Government for hosting the conference and called on healthcare stakeholders, development partners and members of the public to support efforts aimed at improving healthcare delivery in Nigeria and the West African sub-region.
Also speaking, Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Prof. Olufemi Ogunbiyi of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, said the conference would provide a platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration among medical experts while reinforcing the College’s commitment to excellence in specialist training and healthcare service delivery.
