Dear ANPA family,
February is Black History Month, and Black History is ANPA history. This month, we would like to acknowledge and pay special tribute to ANPA Members we have lost and acknowledge their contributions to our organization. We extend, once again, our condolences to their families, reminding them that their loved ones and the impact they made in life will never be forgotten.
This February, the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health held its first ever Virtual Townhall meeting, facilitated by ANPA. The Federal Ministry utilized our interface to connect with almost 400 Nigerian diaspora physicians. The meeting highlighted peculiar challenges within the Nigerian healthcare system, and the need for easier access to primary care, equitable access for all, affordable healthcare, improved infrastructure in hospitals, staff training and retention, the wellbeing of professionals, adequate remuneration, funding for research, the provision of appropriate medical equipment, GDP allocations for health, and so much more
This month, ANPA also initiated the ANPA ECHO program for colonoscopy screening, to be carried out at our Medical Missions. Colorectal cancer is the third-most common cancer worldwide and can cause severe harm because it is often diagnosed at advanced stages, limiting treatment options. The American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) 2021 guidelines recommend colorectal cancer screening in average-risk individuals of age 50 to 75 years and suggest screening in average-risk individuals of age 45 to 49 years. We believe that providing opportunity for early colonoscopy screening during our Medical Missions will help save lives and reduce the occurrence of colorectal cancer in Nigeria.
As we continue to prepare for our 2024 Annual Medical Mission in April, we thank all those who have contributed to the event. ANPA would also like to thank the ANPA Logistics team, in partnership with Mr. Umekwe James and the Abia State National Association (ASNA) for shipping a container of medical supplies to Nigeria in advance for our upcoming Medical Mission. The Abia State National Association also generously donated Ten thousand dollars towards the Medical Mission.
I wish you a happy, and healthy month ahead and a season of impact as our Medical Mission approaches.
Thank you.
Dr. Chinyere Anyaogu,
National President,
Association of Nigerian Physicians
in the Americas