AGN organises health scheme for members

The president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Ibinabo Fiberesima, recently unveiled health plans for actors and stressed the importance of healthcare and insurance policies for actors. ADA DIKE reports.

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Just like in other sectors, some veterans of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN),  have had series of health challenges, that is why its president, Ibinabo Fiberesima is working tirelessly to ensure that its members register to a health scheme that will facilitate medical treatment of actors as at when due.

Shortly after amiable actress Fiberesima was inaugurated at Rumour Club, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos in 2012 as the first female president of AGN, she rolled out her agenda for the association and stressed the need for insurance policies for Nollywood actors.
In her speech at that period, she said: “We are starting with a health insurance and pension schemes for actors and actresses. It has never been done before. The motive is to put an end to the situation where actors go cap-in-hand to beg for money in times of difficulty. By the time we clock 100 days in office, the health insurance and the pension scheme would have been in place,” the ex beauty queen said. 

Ibinabo Fiberesima

  

Fiberesima enlightened actors and the public on the AGN health scheme at the 50^th  birthday celebration of one of Nollywood best actors, Ngozi Nwosu, in Lagos recently and reiterated the need for actors to have access to medical care.

She revealed in a chat that “We have launched a scheme for actors called Health Care International and one of the criteria for qualification to participate in that health scheme include being a registered member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria,” Fiberesima said.

Though she did not reveal the number of actors that have registered for the scheme, she said members who contribute to the scheme would be entitled to free treatment at the selected hospitals.

Also speaking, Ngozi Nwosu, popularly known as Peaceful Peace of the Fuji House of Commotion, who underwent a successful treatment for kidney failure in the United Kingdom, said she was elated that the National President of AGN emphasized on the need for every actor to key in to the health scheme. “I am glad that we now have a medical scheme for actors. I hereby urge my colleagues to please key into it because life is important. Sometimes the things we regard as nothing often turn to be something. I know that many people have dropped dead from the time I felt sick till now but I am here.  I went through death and came back and I am glad that God has given me a second chance, so I am grateful to Him. I have learnt that there some are things I don’t need to take, especially when one is aging. It is important that you get a doctor or a nutritionist to always educate you on what to do and how to take care of yourself,” Nwosu advised.

Top member of the production team of weekly TV programme, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Mr. Olu Akinlabi, who has been doing great works in featuring many sick actors in Who Deserve to Be a Millionaire, said people look at actors as role models so they should not undermine their health.  According to him, producing the show has made him to visit many sick actors, thereby supporting the medical scheme for actors.

Before making his speech, past president of AGN, Mr. Segun Arinze requested for a round of applause for Fiberesima for making him proud by initiating the healthcare and insurance policies for actors. “We are tired of mourning so let’s celebrate ourselves.”

 He shared how he had a headache this year and went to a hospital where he was told that his blood pressure had shot up. “I was treated and the doctor advised me to avoid alcohol for at least six months. Let’s encourage ourselves by supporting the scheme,” he advised.  

When another actor, Charles Novia was speaking, he recalled how he felt sick while on holiday abroad. “After jogging with my daughter, my system changed. I felt dizzy. I could not get up from bed, so there was panic everywhere. I called my doctor in Nigeria who advised me to check my blood pressure. My blood pressure was really high. Sometimes we assume we are in good health without going for checkup, which is wrong,” he said.

Novia emphasized on the importance of regular medical checkup.

Speaking on the importance of a medical scheme for actors, Dr. Alozie Ndubuka, in a paper he delivered on behalf of his director, Dr. Okewale of St. Ives Hospital, Lagos, said entertainment figures and many Nigerians seek medical care very late for fear of soft magazines going to town with unflattering health news of them, which keep them away from hospital until it is too late..

In his words: “Ngozi’s progress is a sweet respite from the tragic death that has afflicted many Nollywood veterans, especially, in the last two years. I recall with a heavy heart such icons like Sam Loco Efe, James Iroha (Giringori), Enebeli Elebuwa, Justus Esiri, Pete Eneh, Ashley Nwosu and Geraldine Ekeocha, to mention a few, who have departed this world when we needed them most.

“How do we keep our veterans live? How do we ensure that our veterans remain to entertain us and inspire the younger generation of actors?” he queried.

Dr. Ndubuka highlighted some challenges that can affect the life expectancy of a celebrity to include ageing, lifestyle, seeking medical care late and societal demands/expectations.

According to him, success in any human endeavour is intoxicating. “It inflicts the susceptible individual with an aura of invisibility and creates him/her a demigod persona. This breeds bad habits like smoking, excessive alcohol intake, poor collagen breakdown and a resultant premature ageing and other health concerns like diabetes, cancer, hypertension, personality changes and organ failures (like kidney failure),” he said.

To live a healthy lifestyle, he advised actors to avoid substance abuse, eat healthy meals that are balanced in their contents.

He affirmed that medical doctors in Nigeria can handle most of the treatments many Nigerians travelled abroad for and recalled a particular incident in which a Nigerian traveled out of the country for a surgery which resulted to a lot of complications after he returned, so a team of medical doctors in Nigeria corrected the mistake.  

In a nutshell, he says: “A health insurance scheme helps a lot. I would like to see the establishment of a health intervention fund to cater for unforeseen health events among actors and actresses. This fund can be sourced from proceeds from the sale of films and should be an obligatory component of production budgets. Actors should as a rule endeavour to organize for themselves more health seminars in which topical issues will be taken by health professionals.

“I will like to see a Nollywood that has at every production set, a medical personnel whose duties as retained observers will include catering to health needs of the cast and crew. These doctors will also serve as advisers when medical roles are being played.

“Every actor should recognize himself or herself as first of all a human being and, must as such have regular medical checkups. Don’t wait until you are sick before visiting the hospital. A twice yearly health check should be made a mandatory prerequisite before an actor can be cast for any role. Any producer who casts an actor in any role without a medical certificate should be made criminally liable should anything happen to that actor both while filming and in the period immediately following the filming,” Ndubuka said. 

It would be recalled that the AGN which was established about 20 years ago as an umbrella for the regulation of acting profession in Nigeria, has continued to promote Nigeria’s rich culture to the world through movies.

With the health scheme, a lot of Nollywood veterans will enjoy longevity if they support it. Observers have advised the president of AGN not to relent in monitoring the scheme, adding that Nigerians would feel disappointed if the plan dies shortly of the celebration of Nwosu’s birthday, where they publicized the scheme.