Ondo South Senatorial, Prof. Dayo Faduyile OON lhas advised Nigerian medical doctors and health practitioners to take their personal healthy wellbeing seriously as they stand in the line as savers for others who need proper medical attention.
Faduyile gave the advice in a statement signed by his aide, Steve Ovirih on Tuesday and made available to newsmen in Okitipupa.
Faduyile, a Professor of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, gave this charge in his keynote address at the “2026 Physicians’ Week” of Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) FCT heals on Tuesday at Chida International Hotel, Utako, Abuja.
At the event which has in attendance medical professionals and doctors in FCT, Faduyile addressed the issue of ‘Saving the Savers: Promoting Physicians’ wellbeing, preventing burnout, cardiovascular diseases and premature deaths.
The lawmaker noted that medical doctors in their bid to save patients often tend to forget themselves and get carried away in the business of providing healthcare for a horde of patients on daily basis.
He stressed that House Officers,Chief Residents, Medical Officers,Physicians who balance clinical works with teaching and also have home responsibilities must create time to attend to their own health to avoid being burnt out.
The former President of NMA maintained that in order to make savers in the health sector have the consciousness about how seriously they also matter in the healthcare chain.
According to him, The hippocratic oath has changed to now read, ” I will attend to my own health in order to be in perfect health to attend to other people’s health.
“It is unfortunate that healers and doctors now abandon themselves why focusing on others.
“The theme of the 2026 Physicians’ week, NMA FCT Abuja is very apt as it talks about Securing the Future of Medicine in Nigeria.
“If the future of Medicine must be secured, everything bordering on ensuring good welfare for Doctors, provision of Health Insurance Scheme (HIS) must be properly factored in the scheme of things,” Faduyile said.
He maintained that the time has come for medical professionals to ponder on what type of healthcare system they intend to leave for future generations reminding all that the future of Medicine does not depend only on scientific breakthroughs and technological advancement but also on the welfare of healthcare professionals and both government and individuals professionals must make this concern a priority.
Talking about causes of burnout among doctors which include high workload, financial pressure and while listing symptoms of burnout as persistent fatigue, headache, reduced empathy, reduced sense of efficacy among others.
Faduyile noted that, a physician who was physically exhausted, emotionally depleted ,chronically stressed and personally neglected cannot indefinitely provide the quality of care patients deserve.
While advising his colleagues in the medical profession, he noted that the job of saving savers was bifocal, hence the need for doctors to do a health check regularly on themselves, insisting that burnout for any medical doctor is not a badge of honor.
He called the attention of colleagues to premature death phenomenon which is becoming rampant among medical professionals, adding that the stress of the workplace has lead to cardiovascular challenge in some people while in orders acute depression giving rise to premature deaths.
He therefore charged savers in the health profession to make it a point of duty to also save themselves even as they show commitment to saving others.