By Kemi Olatunde
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Following the untimely death of about eight medical doctors in Ondo State between July 2018 and January this year an appeal has gone to medical practitioners to take their health issues seriously.

This appeal was made by the chairman, Ondo State chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association, Dr. Wale Oke,  who called on physicians  to give proper attention to their health, noted that without this, they are bound to fail in the discharge of their duties of caring for the people in the society.

He made the call during the 2018 Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Medical Centre, Owo with the theme “Yellow Fever Outbreak in Nigeria: NCDC Situation Report and Way Forward” on Wednesday in Owo.

According to him, it is important that they attend to themselves first before they see their patients saying, “we are custodians of health, we should take it as a point of duty to ensure we take care of our health.

Speaking further at the event which had it sub theme as “the Physician health: Doctors’ lifestyle behaviors, preventive health care habits and barriers they experience,” he lamented the attitude of some doctors to their health, stating that the association has lost about eight members in the last six months to unspecified illnesses.

However, he appealed to them to embrace healthy living so as to guarantee a functioning health sector.

Declaring the event open, chairman of the occasion, Dr. Adetunji Olawoye attributed the occurrence of viral hemorrhagic fevers to untidy environment saying, “we have a resurgence of all these diseases because of our unclean environment.”

Commenting on the subtheme, he described doctors lifestyle as far from an ideal lifestyle and called on them to have a life after medicine.

He said; “what should matter most for a doctor is for him to have a life apart from medical practice. You should take out time for leisure, take out time to chill out with friends and also to relax.”

Medical Director of the  FMC, Dr. Adeagbo Lawal while speaking called on doctors to have their own doctor to attend to their health.

In a lecture on the theme, Dr. Abejegah Chukwuyem said yellow fever is not as a new disease but one which is emerging on the global state saying “it is an acute viral hemorrhagic fever.

Also in another lecture on the subtheme, Dr. Mrs Oluwatosin Adeleke  noted that many medical practitioners have neglected themselves due to work saying, “we do not do most of the things we tell our patients to do.”

While calling on doctors to be mindful of the way they live,  he noted that the physicians health and well-being is critical to the future adding that it is a critical issue gaining national attention due to the high prevalence of physicians burnout.

According to her, physicians are at a higher risk of experiencing  adverse health outcomes including personal and professional dissatisfaction, depression and suicide among others which has affect patient care and health system performance.

She harped on the need to get involve in regular exercise, sleep well, have positive spirituality, adequate water intake, pursuit of definite purpose in life and regular sexual activity among others.

However,  she admonished them to cultivate the habit of healthy living saying, “it helps the physician to enjoy his life. “