Osinbajo And The Rot In The Nigeria Well being Sector By Vivid Okuta

On July 16, 2022, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo introduced, via his media aide, Mr. Laolu Akande that he was admitted at Duchess Hospital, Lagos, for a surgical procedure on account of a proper femur (thigh bone) fracture because of an damage that was related to a sport of squash he performed.

Nigerians on social media despatched good needs to the VP. Opposition politicians, together with Peter Obi wished the vice President a fast restoration.

The arrogance and belief, the Vice President deposited in Nigerian docs are worthy of commendation and emulation. And for as soon as, we’ve got a Nigerian politician, the rank of the Vice President who didn’t simply come out in public to reveal his ailment as a public determine with out pointless drama, suspense and suspicion, but in addition used a Nigerian hospital for corrective surgical procedure.

It makes no modicum of sense to level this out, if the well being sector and the Nigerian system have been in a working situation like in saner climes. It’s the applicable approach as a political workplace holder. However it’s a strong level to notice as a result of that is Nigeria the place there’s systemic rot in each sector.

I might have handed this as a type of election shenanigans, if he did that earlier than the APC presidential major. It will have been tagged ‘election theatrics’—by many, together with me—acted intentionally to control the minds of Nigerians and rating low cost factors. However that wasn’t the case as this occurred greater than a month after he misplaced the Presidential major.

A mean Nigerian politician possesses a swollen urge for food for medical tourism. Medical tourism, a time period used to explain individuals touring overseas to acquire medical care is a quite common apply by Nigerian politicians together with the incumbent President, Muhammadu Buhari.

Because the inception of his administration, the President has spent a complete of 201 days on medical tourism outdoors the nation. Billions of Naira have been spent, in the meantime, the Nigerian well being sector is submerged in a sump of decay.

The odd Nigerians are all the time the victims of this systemic rot. Public hospitals are grossly insufficient and never correctly outfitted with paucity of funds to handle them. Loads of out of date medical gear in authorities hospitals; low medical personnel with minuscule salaries and lack of docs are among the setbacks affecting authorities hospitals. A mean Nigerian well being employee wishes to journey overseas the place they’re valued and paid handsomely. The place the federal government caters to the welfare of well being staff with mouthwatering salaries, incentives and different advantages.

In distinction, the welfare situation of healthcare staff right here in Nigeria is so dangerous that it erases the work zeal in staff.

Sick sufferers queue for hours to see docs in authorities hospitals, which, usually, docs on obligation are at most two or three attending to over 300 sufferers.

In 2021, I spent 10 weeks at Asokoro District Hospital Abuja, and I witnessed firsthand, the pathetic situation of critically sick sufferers and the way they have been handled. Though public hospitals are ill-equipped, Nigeria has a variety of state-of-the-art and purpose-built personal hospitals that may cater to the well being calls for of any form of illness together with transplants and sophisticated surgical procedures. However what number of Nigerians can afford these hospitals? What number of Nigerians can afford to pay 50,000—100,000 for a day in a hospital mattress?

It ought to be a matter of urgency that the federal authorities focuses on the deteriorating well being sector to revamp it.

Politicians ought to cease medical tourism overseas and repair the rot in our well being sector.

There ought to be a invoice that may mandate all public workplace holders to make use of Nigerian hospitals for his or her well being care.

They need to emulate the Vice President.

Vivid Okuta is a author and digital journalist.

Twitter: @BrightOkuta Electronic mail: [email protected]