A former Secretary General of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Adewunmi Alayaki, has urged the Federal Government to ban medical tourism in order to improve and raise the standard of healthcare in the country.
Alayaki said this in an exclusive chat with our correspondent against the backdrop of the challenges facing Nigeria’s health sector.
He argued that with such a law in place, the government would have no other option than to develop the nation’s health care delivery system up to a standard that every Nigerian would be proud to patronise.
The former NMA secretary general noted that for the government to improve health care delivery in the country, it must address some germane issues like revamping the primary health care system.
“There should be the provision of basic requirements to make these centres function effectively. For example, water, electricity and access roads. The government should employ all cadres of health care providers in these centres. About 70 per cent of patients with their ailments would have been attended to at this level, leaving the serious ailments for the secondary and tertiary health care centres to handle,” Alayaki said.
He added that the government should address the community-based health insurance scheme with the seriousness it deserved, while attention should be paid to the remuneration of health workers in the country.
Alayaki said, “Once we can have up to 90 per cent of the population captured under the community based health insurance scheme, the health indices in the country will improve. Also, let government establish a world-class hospital in each of the six geo-political zones that will take care of the cases that will require highly specialised care.
“The government should address the welfare issue of all health workers so as to reduce brain drain. These health care workers, if well remunerated, would have stayed back to help the system grow.”
