The state branch of Lagos of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has prompted the resistance of the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the AUG Medical Center, Dr. Kola Afolabi on the recovery of the installation, after the fire that swept his hospital a few months ago.
The state chapter gave the recommendation when its president, Dr. Babaajide Saheed, directed a delegation, including previous leaders, visited the installation.
Saheed described Afolabi as “an icon of the medical profession”, whose ability to rebuild in a short period despite the hard reality was commendable.
He pointed out that the visit was necessary for the duty of the association to support members in trouble, especially when such challenges affected their practice and livelihood.
“We must support our members every time they are psychological, financially or professionally affected. When I heard about the fire that the old hospital consumed and saw that Dr. Afolabi and his wife had built, in months, a new installation, we decided to come and congratulate them and thank God for doing this possible.
“It is not easy to lose a hospital to shoot and rebuild so fast in this economy,” he said.
The NMA head revealed that the next annual general meeting (AGM) of the Association would intensify the discussions about insurance and security networks for doctors, particularly those with private hospitals.
According to him, the agency is considering a well -being trustee to encourage members to adopt compensation and property insurance packages, saying that it was important that professionals had both, given the risks associated with the profession.
The former president of the Association, Dr. Tope Eye, said the visit was a congratulation and symbolic gesture, and pointed out that Afolabi had served the medical community for decades, winning good will that allowed him to recover after the fire incident, which he described as tragic.
“The incident was tragic, but fortunately there was no life.
Eye emphasized that experience should serve as a lesson for other doctors to guarantee not only its facilities but also their teams and personnel.
“Life insurance, property insurance and compensation coverage must be encouraged. In that way, when disasters occur, insurance companies will be forced to pay damage promptly,” he said.
Responding, Dr. Afolabi expressed his gratitude for the effusion of solidarity of colleagues, who describe as overwhelming.
“I never waited for this magnitude of support. Almost all Lagos NMA executives and some national officers came. I am very appreciative and deeply humble,” he said.
The CMD of the AGO Medical Center explained that the fire incident was caused by an electrical increase, but added that the new installation had been equipped with a fire detection system to avoid a recurrence apart from being insured.
This was just when he revealed that despite the reverse, the fire incident had accelerated his expansion plans.
“I had always planned to move to a larger installation. Although painful, God made a path to acquire this place. Now we are waiting for our insurance claims to be so that we can develop the old site,” said Dr. Afolabi..
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