UNIMED Teaching Hospital Hosts 2025 AMSWON Annual Socio-Scientific Conference

The University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital (UNIMEDTH), Ondo State, has successfully hosted the 2025 Annual Socio-Scientific Conference and Training of the Association of Medical Social Workers of Nigeria (AMSWON).

The event, themed “Socio-Economic Realities and Access to Healthcare Services in Nigeria: Implications for Medical Social Work Practice,” brought together professionals and stakeholders in the health and social work sectors to discuss pathways toward equitable healthcare delivery in Nigeria.

Declaring the conference open, the Ondo State Governor, His Excellency, Governor Lucky Orimisan Ayedatiwa, represented by his Special Adviser on Health Matters, Prof. Simidele Odimayo, emphasized the crucial role of medical social workers in addressing socio-economic barriers that hinder access to healthcare. He commended their dedication to ensuring that patients and families receive holistic care that bridges the gap between medical treatment and social well-being.

Governor Ayedatiwa highlighted the state’s recent achievements in the health sector, noting that the restructuring of tertiary health institutions, including UNIMEDTH, over the past 10 to 15 months has strengthened leadership, improved efficiency, and restored public confidence in the healthcare system.

He further disclosed that secondary health facilities in Ikare Akoko, Okitipupa, and Ore are currently undergoing special interventions to upgrade infrastructure and improve accessibility. In addition, over 100 healthcare facilities — including general hospitals and primary health centres — are being renovated, with new staff housing, solar-powered lighting, boreholes for improved hygiene, and perimeter fencing to enhance safety.

The Governor also announced the rebranding and restructuring of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to enhance rapid response and service delivery. Renovations are ongoing at the EMS base stations in Bolorunduro, Igbara-Oke, and Ore.

He explained that accident victims in the state can now access emergency assistance by calling dedicated mobile numbers, after which ambulances will promptly convey them to the nearest general hospital for stabilization and treatment. Significantly, the Ondo State Government will cover all medical expenses incurred within the first 48 hours of such emergencies.

In his welcome address and lecture presentation titled “Socio-Economic Realities and Access to Healthcare Services in Nigeria: Implications for Medical Social Work Practice,” the Chief Medical Director of UNIMEDTH and host of the conference, Dr. Michael Olumide Gbala, examined Nigeria’s healthcare landscape, highlighting the socio-economic inequalities and access disparities affecting vulnerable populations.

Dr. Gbala stressed the need for medical social workers to play a more strategic role in promoting equity in healthcare delivery — ensuring that access to quality care is not determined by geography, social status, or educational background.

He further charged members of the association to adopt a data-driven approach in their service delivery. According to him, maintaining data on financial waivers for indigent patients and tracking the extent of financial aid mobilized for patient support could serve as valuable resources for clinical and economic research, as well as guide donors and support organizations in future interventions.

The keynote speaker at the conference, Prof. Jane Adebusuyi, a Professor of Social Work and Head of the Department of Behavioral Science, Lead City University, Ibadan, delivered a thought-provoking lecture titled “Socio-Economic Realities and Access to Healthcare: The Social Worker’s Perspective.” She urged all medical social workers to actively embrace their advocacy roles in assisting the vulnerable. According to her, “AMSWON… we are the voice of the voiceless and the hope of the hopeless in clinical settings. Therefore, we must break the culture of silence and speak on behalf of needy patients.”