The Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Olabode Ladipo, has lamented on the dwindling number of medical professionals in hospitals and also pleaded for the cooperation of the medical practitioners with the government.
This was expressed during the First Annual General Meeting and induction of 140 new members of the Health Promotion and Education Alumni Association of Ibadan College of Medicine (HPEAAICM) in collaboration with Development Communications (DEVCOMS) Network, a media capacity development and advocacy organization. 
Speaking at the event, the Dr. Ladipo emphasized the relevance of health promotion in the society. Noting that ‘the need for proper communication in healthcare delivery couldn’t be underestimated’.
He lamented the dwindling number of medical professionals in hospitals, and pleaded for their cooperation with the government.
Also, HPEAAICM President, Dr. Bright Orji stated in his welcome address that the association was instituted with a mandate to reunite graduates, students, and the faculty and has identified the challenges facing public health professionals, especially the young ones, and is ready to engage with them on how to be more relevant in the practice.
He went further to add that although HPE was workable in Nigeria it was challenging, as the number of trained professionals and practitioners at the local, state and federal levels was not enough, saying “there was also the need to ensure the use of available channels to reach the local communities so that people would get enough relevant and needed information”.
Dr. Orji disclosed that apart from bringing professionals together to learn, the association was also making sure that the policies made by the government were interpreted in the local languages that people would understand and appropriately ensure that it was being practiced as the government had allocated.
Also speaking as a guest presenter on health promotion, Akin Jimoh the Program Director of Development Communication Network said “documentation in Nigeria is very poor. Therefore, Health promotion practitioners need to be more visible in what they do”. 
“We need to promote our work and also publish our research, public understanding is at the root of whether we make progress in addressing public health milestones or not” He added.
The high point of the event was the conferment of awards, launch of the HPEAAICM website and the association’s first induction of over 140 members, among whom was Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, a cancer survivor.
She affirmed that “creating awareness about diseases such as cancer was imperative and require funds, as public education, patient support, advocacy and research need to be in place to make cancer a health priority.”