Emerging and re-emerging diseases are on our doorstep, says Dr Omoniyi Fagbemi at the Medical Directors Guild Scientific Conference 2026

*Welcome Speech by the President of the Lagos State Branch Medical Directors Guild, Dr. OMONIYI FAGBEMI, at the 2026 Scientific Conference held on October 2, 2026 at the ORIENTAL HOTEL VI LAGOS.

1. PROTOCOL
All protocols duly respected.

2. WELCOME

Good morning distinguished ladies and gentlemen,

It is with great joy and deep sense of honor that I welcome all of you to the 2026 Scientific Conference of the Medical Directors Guild, Lagos State Branch.

Our focus this year is timely and critical.

Our main theme is: emergency preparedness for emerging and re-emerging diseases.
Presenter: Dr. Folarin Opawoye

Our subtopics are:
– Infection Prevention and Control: The Role of Private Health Services – Dr. Olayemi Dawodu
– Systems, Strategy and Leadership for a Scalable Healthcare Enterprise – Dr. Ayobami Kuyoro

3. GUILD INFORMATION

For the benefit of our distinguished guests, the Medical Directors Guild is an association of owners and directors of private medical facilities in Lagos State.

We are bound by a common passion: a commitment to quality, to the ethics of Medicare and to the business of medicine.

Our goal is to ensure that private practice in Lagos is clinically excellent and sustainably profitable.

To this end, we have decided that all members should be enrolled in a quality improvement programme, with SafeCare Level 3 (out of 5) as the minimum standard after a grace period. It is with pride that I note that the only SafeCare Level 5 certified facility in Lagos is a proud member of this guild.

4. ON OUR TOPIC

Ladies and gentlemen, the themes of this conference are extremely pertinent.

This year we saw the worst Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, just a 2 hour and 43 minute flight from Nigeria. We all remember the case of Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian-American, on July 20, 2014, and the heroic sacrifice made by Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh and the staff of First Consultants Hospital, right here in Lagos, to contain him.

You don’t need to look that far.

Let me share a brief story: My senior year project in 1984 was initially titled “Incidence of Vaccine Failures in 6 Vaccine-Preventable Diseases.” I took data from IDH Yaba, General Hospital Ikeja (now LASUTH) and Mercy Children Hospital, Lagos Island. I have not seen a single case of diphtheria, a few cases of tetanus. I had to change the subject to 4 childhood illnesses.

This was the power of effective immunization at that time. But today the story has changed. We recently had a diphtheria epidemic in some parts of Nigeria, including Lagos: 56 cases reported as of September 9, 2026. What we thought had disappeared is re-emerging.

The lesson is clear: emerging and re-emerging diseases are on our doorstep. As private practitioners on the front lines, we need to stay ahead of them. We must know not only how to properly diagnose and treat our patients, but also how to protect ourselves, our staff and our facilities.

This brings me to the second aspect of our meeting.

Any venture you undertake should provide satisfaction, and satisfaction is holistic: it is social, psychological, as well as economic and financial.

Therefore, in order for us to have true satisfaction in our various practices, the business of medicine must not only be stable and grow. Growth is not enough; it needs to scale down.

This is why our second subtheme is so important. Dr. Kuyoro will walk us through the systems, strategies and leadership needed to build a scalable healthcare enterprise.

5. CONCLUSION

So, let’s sit back and relax, but more importantly, get busy. We are here to learn, unlearn and relearn.

Our speakers are seasoned experts. I am confident that we will leave this place better prepared, both clinically and as business leaders.

On that note, it is my honor to welcome all of you to this scientific symposium.

And kaabo in Lagos, a center of excellence and land of aquatic splendor.

Thank you.