I will like to use this medium to congratulate the new Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Folorunso Adewole the immediate past and the 11th Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan. I was not too
surprise that you were given the portfolio of Health Ministry though like many Nigerians, I have thought you will be made Minister of Education. But as a professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics I see your
emergence as minister of health as a “round peck in a round hole.”
Having served as Provost, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan the largest and oldest medical school in Nigeria. I am therefore convinced and not confused that you are man enough to man the ministry of Health.
However, I am writing this piece for three major reason:
- Reflection on Nigeria’s Health care system in World Health Organisation ranking.
2.Incessant Doctors’ strike and 3. Sustaining Nigeria Polio Free Status.
Recall that the World Health Organization ranks Nigerian healthcare system amongst the worst in the world. Specifically, its most recent report places Nigeria at the 187th position of 190 countries. This is
only ahead of the DRC, Central Africa Republic and Myanmar.
Even Zimbabwe and Burundi, which are amongst the poorest countries of the world rank at least thirty places ahead of Nigeria, yet Nigeria has the largest Gross Domestic Product on the continent and many
significant mineral resources.
It should be noted that, constitutionally, every individual has a right to live healthy and the government, at all levels, is obligated to provide good quality healthcare amongst other social amenities to its citizenry at affordable costs and in a convenient manner.
The healthcare system is expected to focus on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases and ailments for all the people; and the responsibility of the government to achieve these objectives cuts across its various tiers.
As Honourable Minister of Health you must do your best to resolve some abnormalities in the healh sector which include, the lack of funding, undersupply, inefficiency, decrepit equipment, poor quality, needless deaths and unhappy workforce.
The country does not boast of a plausible healthcare agenda and often leaves development agencies to define programs for focus. Doctors exploit the weak system, inviting patients to private practices so that they can earn additional income and consulting at multiple government hospitals so they appear on
various payrolls.
Nurses yell at patients and refuse to respond to their basic enquiries. Pharmacists dispense drugs in envelopes and do not bother to write the name of the medication or educate patients on
side-effects. Accounts clerks often have ‘no change’ and will therefore tell patients to go find the correct denomination before payments are accepted and emergency cases are overlooked because payments are incomplete.
Many general hospitals stink (literally and figuratively) and are breeding grounds for infectious diseases – many also do not have sufficient beds so corridors become sleep pads.
To tackle the above mentioned abnormalities, in 2016 budget, Federal, States and Local Governments must allocate at least 15% of their total budgets to health in line with the 2000 Abuja declaration.
Establishing SHI and CBHI schemes; within the context of the NHIS so as to expand cover to the informal and rural populations, which make up 70% of the population, as a strategy toward universal access.
Support to states to develop state health insurance schemes to be regulated by the NHIS Support for voluntary (private) health insurance and discouragement of retainership.
Identifying, adapting and scaling up of financing schemes shown to expedite universal coverage, such as drug revolving fund schemes, deferrals, exemptions etc.
Harmonization of external aids and partnerships for health financing.
In addition to these, our hospitals must be upgraded and well equipped so as to discourage medical tourism. According to the president of the Nigerian Medical Association, over USD 500 million is lost annually to medical tourism. Recall that the UCH where you were once the Provost was ranked third best in the Commonwealth ahead of most teaching hospitals in Britain (in the ’60s) that even the Saudi Princes used to come there with health challenges, therefore all hands must be on deck to restore the lost glory of all our Teaching and non Teaching hospitals.
The Honourable Minister, the second issue i want to bring to your attention is the incessant strike of the Doctors and other health workers. Recall that you have once served in 1984 as President of the National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria and you led a nationwide strike that resulted in your dismissal by the then military head of state, Gen. Mohammadu Buhari which made you to went on exile
because you were declared wanted, dead or alive by the head of state who is incidentally is the current President.
I willl like to urge you to use your experinece in Nigeria Medical politics to eradicate the Doctors’ strike by seeing to it that the medical practionals are well renumerated and catered for not only to put and end to strike but to also deal with issue of brain drain in the sector.
According to Nigerian Medical Association, over 60% of doctors trained in Nigeria practice abroad and The Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas has a membership of over 4,000. At various times, these Nigerian doctors have been given awards as best in their fields and continue to make significant strides in the advancement of medicine abroad at the detriment of medicine at home.
Last but not the least Mr. Minister, Nigeria Polio-free status must be sustained, recall that Nigeria has reached a major polio “milestone” and has been removed from the list of polio-endemic countries after a year of not reporting a single case of wild polio.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said Nigeria has not reported a case of wild polio virus since July 24, 2014. “All laboratory data confirm that 12 months have passed without any new case in the country.”
Therefore to sustained this, the community involvement in the immunization of children under 5years, and surveillance activities to rapidly detect any potential re-emergence of the virus ,the establishment of emergency operations centres at the national and state levels, which had contributed to Nigeria’s success coupled with continuous domestic funding from Nigeria is essential to keep Nigeria and the entire region polio-free.
Remember, a healthy nation is a wealthy nation
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