Professor Abdus-Samiu Adewale Musa-Olomu, the former Medical Director of Federal Medical Center, Abeokuta, has called on the Federal Government to establish the Office of the Surgeon-General of the Federation as part of measures to strengthen surgical healthcare delivery across the country.

The Don also advocated increased funding for the health sector, affordable health insurance, improved remuneration for medical personnel and expanded training and deployment of general surgeons.

Musa-Olomu made the recommendations while delivering the 308th Inaugural Lecture of the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, titled “Beauty of a Surgeon’s Knife: Bringing Smiles to Patients’ Faces.”

The professor argued that establishing the Office of the Surgeon-General would enhance coordination of surgical healthcare services and provide an institutional framework for addressing critical challenges confronting surgical practice in Nigeria.

He emphasised the need for governments to expand the training and deployment of general surgeons, noting that their broad-based professional competence equips them to manage emergencies and diverse surgical conditions, particularly in underserved communities.

The lecturer also called for affordable health insurance schemes to improve access to medical services, stressing that poverty remained a major barrier preventing many Nigerians from seeking timely medical attention.

He urged tertiary healthcare institutions to ensure that patients received prompt attention from medical personnel upon presenting at hospitals.

On the welfare of healthcare workers, Musa-Olomu advocated improved salaries and welfare packages, maintaining that better working conditions were essential to retaining skilled professionals and sustaining efficient healthcare delivery.

He further recommended stronger community health education, improved access to potable water and the promotion of iodised salt consumption to prevent avoidable health conditions, including goitre.

The professor also called for collaboration between the Nigerian Medical Association and associations of general surgeons to institutionalise an annual General Surgeons' Day, similar to other professional medical observances.

He equally urged governments and relevant institutions to strengthen the training of traditional bone setters and community health personnel to minimise complications associated with inappropriate treatment.