TheCable

Osahon Enabulele, a former president of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), has been sworn in as the president of the World Medical Association.

Enabulele was sworn in over the weekend at the WMA’s annual general assembly held in Berlin, Germany.

He became president-elect at the association’s last general assembly in 2021.

In his inauguration address, Enabulele promised to contribute his quota on steering the association towards providing the highest of standards in healthcare.

“Indeed it evokes a great sense of pride for me and my country Nigeria being the first time since the formation of WMA 75 years ago that a physician from a West African nation from an African continent of 54 countries, from Nigeria and from Edo state has been elected to lead the WMA,” he said.

“Coming from a continent that is largely deprived of quality healthcare, I consider my election to the office of WMA president as a significant opportunity to make positive impact through leading initiatives that can enhance the onomy of physicians across the globe, and to strengthen countries’ healthcare systems of countries to help them achieve universal health coverage and the sustainable development goals and the mitigation of the effects of climate change.”

The WMA president is a consultant in family medicine at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Edo state.

In 2019, Enabulele became the first Nigerian physician to be elected as president of the Commonwealth Medical Association (CMA) since the CMA was founded in 1962.

In the same year, Enabulele also became the first Nigerian physician to become a statutory council member of the WMA.

Founded in 1974, and now with over 100 national medical associations as members from across the world, the WMA “was created to ensure the independence of physicians, and to work for the highest possible standards of ethical behaviour and care by physicians, at all times”.