Climate Change, Burnout, Lifestyle Illnesses New Threats to Health, APHPN President Warns
By Stephen Adeleye
Makurdi, July 1, 2026
The President of the Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria (APHPN) Dr Terfa Kene, has warned that emerging health challenges including climate change, burnout from long working hours, and lifestyle-related illnesses now pose serious threats to healthcare delivery in Nigeria.
- Advertisement -
Dr Kene gave the warning on Tuesday in Makurdi as guest speaker at the 12th induction ceremony of 56 medical graduates of the College of Health Sciences, Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi, (MOAUM).
He said modern doctors must be prepared to confront these evolving health issues while remaining professionally grounded.
“Poverty and disease are like twins,” he observed, stressing the need for sustained investment in healthcare by government, institutions, and families.
The APHPN President urged the newly inducted doctors to resist mass emigration and contribute their skills to Nigeria’s development.
He said many Nigerians who relocated abroad in search of better opportunities were not gainfully employed, adding that migration did not always guarantee career advancement or improved economic prospects.
Dr Kene warned that some Nigerian doctors abroad often abandoned medical practice for menial jobs.
He advised the inductees to build rewarding careers at home while pursuing global opportunities responsibly.
According to him, medical education is a source of pride for every society and doctors must now be multi-skilled, entrepreneurial, and technologically driven to remain relevant. He noted that telemedicine has become integral to medical practice and must be embraced by new entrants.
He also encouraged doctors to diversify into entrepreneurship, including agriculture.
The public health expert urged government to support banana cultivation along riverbanks, noting its potential for syrup production and economic development.
Dr Kene advised the graduates to remain humble, continuously update their knowledge, and uphold the ethics and code of conduct of the profession despite growing social media influences.
He urged them to treat patients with love, compassion, and dignity, stressing that effective healthcare delivery requires understanding and sharing in the pain of those receiving treatment.
The public health physician commended the Benue Government for ongoing infrastructural development.
He appealed for a donation of N200 million to APHPN for the construction of an estate and secretariat in Abuja to support doctors undergoing housemanship postings.
He also requested the provision of a bus to facilitate the transportation of doctors between Abuja and Benue whenever their services were required in the state.
Dr Kene further announced the institution of academic awards for outstanding graduating students.
The awards include the Joseph Kene Award, Mernan Kene Award, and Elizabeth Mbazedan Kene Award.
Dr Terfa Kene doubles as APHPN National President, and CEO of Ave Health Sense Ltd. A public health physician, researcher and former CDC/Walter Reed advisor. He is the first Benue indigene to lead APHPN in over 50 years.
In his remarks, Gov. Hyacinth Alia, described medicine as ‘a noble profession’ that gives practitioners the opportunity to work with God in preserving human life.
Alia, represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dcns Deborah Aber, urged the newly inducted doctors to commit themselves to a lifetime of service to humanity with professionalism.
He assured them that his administration remained committed to improving the healthcare sector because a healthy population was critical to the growth and development of the state.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor, MOAUM, Prof. Timothy Alabar, said that the medical profession demanded compassion, integrity and selflessness, describing it as a lifelong pursuit of knowledge.
Alabar congratulated the graduates on their achievement and commended the teaching and non-teaching staff of the college for their dedication to duty, which culminated in the graduation of the newly inducted medical doctors.
The Provost of the College, Prof. Andrea Ornguze, described the journey of the graduates as rigorous and demanding, revealing that while 57 students were expected for induction, one was lost a week earlier.
Ornguze said the college had continued to produce doctors capable of competing globally, attracting institutions that visit to understudy its programmes.
The Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, Prof. Fatima Kyari, described the college as a beacon of excellence and said the graduating doctors were evidence of the institution’s high standards.
Kyari, represented by Head of Registration, Dr Tijani Mandaka, commended Alia and the university management for their commitment to excellence.
She advised the new doctors to approach their duties with humility, respect for senior colleagues and strict adherence to professional ethics.
Dr Terkaa Terrumun Bitto, Chairman of the Professional Induction Ceremony, thanked dignitaries for their presence and acknowledged Dr Kene for drawing attention to new health challenges and innovation.
He further commended the Benue Government and called for increased investment in medical education to retain doctors in the country.
End
(DEMOCRACY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPER, JULY 2ND 2026)
