By Amos Aar
THE BENUE CHAPTER, Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA) has decried shortage of veterinary doctors in the state civil service and appealed to Governor Hyacinth Alia to reinstate the veterinary doctors that were employed by the state civil service but were later laid off; chairman of the association, Dr Andrew Amine, made the appeal during the 2024 World Veterinary Day with the theme: Veterinarians are Essential Health Workers on Saturday in Makurdi.
Dr Amine disclosed that he had earlier pleaded with the commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security when he led other state officials on a courtesy on him.
He emphasized that even if the veterinary doctors that were laid off were reinstated there would still be inadequate, stressing that they should be reinstated and more should be employed to cater for the growing veterinary services in the state.
“The veterinary profession is large and ladden with series of untapped potential to explore. It is consistently dynamic with some newer methods of treatments, equipment and facilities,” Amine said.
He further said that the association had taken the welfare of members as its topmost priority, explaining that efforts were made to register a cooperative society which sought to give soft loans to younger veterinarians in the state to enable them start up or support their existing practices or businesses.
Also, the guest speaker, Dr Aondowase Umayange, who spoke on the theme of the day said that veterinarians were not only responsible for the health and welfare of animals but also contribute significantly to the advancement of medical research.
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Umayange said that it was the veterinarian’s role to prevent, detect and manage diseases to ensure the well-being of both animals and man.
He further said that animal models play a crucial role in understanding how diseases affect different species including humans.
“Through their expertise, they aid in the development of new drugs, vaccines and medical procedures that benefit both animals and humans.
“They work tirelessly to ensure the health of both animals and humans. It is worthy to stress that COVID-19, which recently challenged the prowess of health workers, has been one of the commonest and seemingly handled diseases by veterinarians in dogs (canine Corona virus disease) and other animals,” Umayange said.
According to him, their contribution to scientific research is invaluable, paving the way for groundbreaking advancements in the field of medicine.
“It should be noted that the first organ transplant was done by Voronoff in the 1920s before Carrel conducted a series of human xenotransplantation (nonhuman animal sources) in 1963”.
He called on president Bola Tinubu to create a Ministry of Animal and Veterinary Services, adding that Alia should replicate it and build ultramodern abattoirs and veterinary hospitals in the state for better veterinary service delivery.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the occasion, Prof. Joseph Bosha, said that veterinary doctors have essential roles to play for the well being of both the animals and man.
The chairperson of the occasion, Dr Charity Agada, said that veterinary doctors play myriad of functions such as disease preventive roles, provide food security and take care of animal waste thereby keeping the environment clean.
