The Association of Medical Social Workers of Nigeria,(AMSWON) has described involvement of Medical Social Workers in the management of tertiary, secondary and primary health centers across the country as an antidote to the array of psycho-social problems confronting many Nigerians.
The employment and engagement of the experts in the area who will help the affected patients and those who would need professional advice according to AMSWON will help to reduce the rising cases of psycho-social problems; divorce, poverty, malnutrition, juvenile delinquency, rape, examination malpractices, cultism, violence and prostitution among others.
AMSWON National President, Abubakar Alhassan Bichi who made this call in his acceptance speech shortly after he emerged as the National President of the association at its Annual General Meeting at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi declared that most of these problems does not require medication but professional advice of trained and certified Medical Social Workers.
Bichi who pointed out that one of the requirements of an ideal hospital be it tertiary, secondary or primary is the availability of Medical Social Workers decried the shortage of professional Medical Social Workers who will be willing to provide psycho-social succour to patients because “not all illnesses requires drugs or medication”.
Speaking further, Bichi who said one of the factors responsible for the mass failure, examination malpractices and cultism in Nigerian schools from primary to tertiary level is the misplacement of priorities by the governments, parents, teachers and students blamed the problems on the absence of Social Workers who can help to discover students’ potentials and guide them based on their uniqueness.
Other elected officers of the association includes; Thomas Ibe; National Vice President, Ogedengbe Kayode; National Secretary General, Arinze Nwakwo; National Public Relations Officer, Chinyere Robinson; National Financial Secretary, Barbara Bwownson; National Welfare Officer, Olaonipekun Lanre; National Auditor, Adeyemi Fatai; National Assistant Secretary General and Adegbola Gbeminiyi; National Editorial Secretary.
The communique issued by Chairman and Secretary of its drafting committee, Olatunde Victor and Abdul Mohammed after the conference reads as follows;
“The conference agreed that professional social workers should be employed in our hospitals in order to put the square peg in a square hole.
“Social Workers must be part of Medical team if they are going on ward round for social diagnosis of patient’s illness.
“The association viewed strongly that social workers should be on Call/ Shift duty for effective coverage of the hospital.
“It was also resolved that hospital managements should ensure that proper records and statistics of all social work interventions are kept and made available to relevant organizations and agencies.
“The conference agreed that hospital managements should endeavor to sponsor social workers to attend professional and scientific conferences in order to keep abreast with the current trends in Social Work practice.
“The federal ministry of health and federal ministry of Women and Social Development should lobby the National Assembly to pass the standing bills on Social Work currently in the House of Representatives, National Assembly, Abuja.
“It was resolved that hospital managements should set aside certain percentage of profits made from the various resolving funds in the hospital for the management of the indigent patients.
“The conference agreed that hospital managements should ensure the presence of social workers in the management of all internally displaced persons (IDPs), brought to their hospitals in order to professionally handle the social needs of such victims.
“The hospital managements should create a forum through which the various professionals will interact and discuss the basic role each is expected to play in the holistic management of patients.
“In conclusion, we look forward to the implementation of the above salient points, so that medical social work activities could be given it well deserved seat in the scheme of things in patient’s management and care in Nigerians hospitals.
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