IMAN commends UNILORIN’s developmental strides
… urges compassionate healthcare
By Mustafa Abubakar
The outgoing National President of the Islamic Medical Association of Nigeria (IMAN), Prof. Ibrahim Oreagba, has commended the University of Ilorin for its infrastructural development, serene environment, landscaping and hospitality.
He made the commendation last Saturday (August 29,2026) on the sidelines of the presentation of the communiqué at the end of the 27th National Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Association in Ilorin, where participants identified insecurity as both a major public-health and national development challenge requiring multidisciplinary and multisectoral intervention.
The Conference, held under the theme “Compassion, Competence and Conscience: Integrating Islamic Values in Modern Medical Practice,” attracted 1,200 delegates, comprising 1,165 physical and 35 virtual participants from all geopolitical zones of the country, including the Federal Capital Territory, as well as global audience.
Prof. Oreagba said his latest visit to the University showed significant developments compared with his previous visits, particularly in infrastructure and the general environment.
According to him, the serenity of the University and the well-maintained landscape, including its well-trimmed grasses and green areas, added considerably to its beauty.
He noted that maintaining such a large university environment requires substantial resources, adding that the developments were commendable.
The IMAN President also praised the orderliness within the University and the hospitality displayed by lecturers, saying it reflected good human, customer and client relations.
He commended the leadership of the University of Ilorin for the positive impression created by the institution’s environment and the attitude of its staff.
Speaking on the major lessons the University and other institutions could take from the Conference, Prof. Oreagba said the annual event was designed to examine current trends and latest research activities in the scientific, medical and Islamic fields.
He identified compassion, competence and conscience as key messages of the Conference.
He urged healthcare providers to be more compassionate and caring towards their patients, while maintaining the competence required to provide quality healthcare.
Prof. Oreagba also stressed the importance of conscience, saying healthcare professionals must always do what is right and ethical in caring for their patients.
He further highlighted IMAN’s Ibadah-friendly concept, which he said the Association was already trying to establish in some of its hospital-based facilities.
According to him, the concept trains healthcare workers to maintain a compassionate and caring attitude towards patients while also creating an environment where Muslim patients can conveniently observe their Salah during hospitalisation.
He explained that the Ibadah-friendly concept would make it easier for Muslim patients to observe their religious obligations even while on hospital beds.
Prof. Oreagba said these were among the key messages the Association wanted healthcare providers and members of the general public to take away from the Conference.
Meanwhile, the communiqué issued at the end of the conference contained a series of recommendations addressing major challenges confronting Nigeria’s healthcare system.
IMAN said compassion, competence and conscience were inseparable dimensions of good healthcare practice, stressing that technical proficiency without compassion could depersonalise care, while compassion without competence could compromise patient safety.
It said both should be guided by an ethically responsible conscience and the Islamic concept of amanah, professional responsibility and trust.
The Association expressed concern that the spiritual and religious needs of patients remained insufficiently integrated into routine healthcare.
It recognised healthcare chaplaincy, faith-sensitive counselling and appropriate spiritual support as important components of holistic, person-centred care, particularly during serious illness, psychological distress, hospitalisation and end-of-life situations.
It recommended the progressive development of healthcare chaplaincy and faith-sensitive counselling services within Nigerian healthcare institutions, with clearly defined competencies, ethical standards, referral pathways and appropriate collaboration among healthcare professionals, trained chaplains, counsellors and qualified Islamic scholars.
The Association also called for the expansion and institutionalisation of the Ibaadah-Friendly Healthcare initiative, enabling healthcare facilities to respond appropriately to patients’ spiritual needs while maintaining evidence-based clinical standards, patient safety and respect for religious diversity.
On women’s health, IMAN said greater shared responsibility was required within families and society, noting that spouses had important responsibilities in supporting women’s physical, reproductive, psychological and social well-being.
It recommended that such responsibilities be exercised with compassion, mutual consultation, dignity, justice and respect for sound medical advice.
The Association further recommended the active involvement of husbands, families, religious leaders and communities, where appropriate, in promoting shared responsibility, informed decision-making, early healthcare seeking and evidence-based preventive, reproductive and maternal healthcare while safeguarding the dignity and legitimate rights of women.
