Experts lament obsolete equipment
Absence of life-saving drugs
The recent deaths of some notable Nigerians in hospitals abroad have again revealed that all is not well with the nation’s healthcare system.
Last week, the former Chief Justice of Nigeria , Idris Kutigi , died in a London hospital after a brief illness.
Two weeks before then, former Minister of Information , Chief John Ogar Odey, died in a Dubai hospital, where he was receiving treatment for a cancer-related
illness.
The deaths of some prominent Nigerians in London hospitals, including Nigeria’s former Vice-President, Chief Alex Ekwueme, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Oluyemi Adeniji, among others, from October 2017 till date, are clear indications that the state of healthcare in the country is disturbing.
More worrisome is that President Muhammadu Buhari himself does not have confidence in the healthcare system, given his frequent medical trips abroad, which have continued to cause discomfort among Nigerians who are struggling with out-of-pocket payment for healthcare.
The World Health Organisation recommends that out-of-pocket payment should not occur in more than 40 per cent of the population of a country, but in Nigeria, the reverse is the case as about 75 per cent of its population currently pays out-of-pocket.
According to the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, Nigeria is spending over $1 billion annually on medical treatment, lamenting that spending such a huge amount of money for treatment abroad was not good for the nation’s
economy.
It is so unfortunate that the system has been structured and designed to fail ab initio. Looking at the performance of the current administration, one area that President Buhari has failed is the health sector
Investigation by The Point shows that the current state of our healthcare system characterised by inadequate funding, lack of equipment, poor remuneration of health workers, lack of political will on the part of government, may not be able to contend with the burden of diseases in the country.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with our correspondent, former President, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria , Pharm. Olumide Akintayo, said Nigeria’s health system was structured to fail from the beginning.
” This is the most decadent healthcare system. It is so unfortunate that the system has been structured and designed to fail ab initio. Looking at the performance of the current administration, one area that President Buhari has failed is the health sector.
“The reasons are not far-fetched. You have a poorly motivated staff. President Buhari rewards one group of health workers and other groups are not reckoned with. So, they are demotivated.
“The funding for healthcare is so wretched even when you have one percent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund that should come into the health sector. But he has refused to inject it into our budget.
“So, with poor funding, we have nothing but obsolete equipment to work with,” he said.
Akintayo revealed that most equipment at the tertiary hospitals that should provide specialist care for illnesses such as cancer, kidney failure, heart diseases, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, among others, are not working.
“Currently, we do not have the state of the art theatre or machines. And so, when all these are combined together, what plays out is that you have a wretched output in the system. We are not even talking about investing in research and development. Now, if Nigerians have the money to seek treatment abroad, why would they want to use a facility that will sentence them to death at home?”, he explained.
Asked if Nigeria health facilities now contribute to death of patients, Akintayo stated: ” Pray that you don’t fall sick. If you fall sick, I am not talking about malaria and typhoid, then you will really understand what I am talking about.”
He further stated: “Most important life-saving drugs are not available. There is no money to stock them. The equipment are obsolete whereas there are high-tech equipment in hospitals abroad. We are not fit to manage certain health conditions as far as Nigeria healthcare system is concerned. Health is a global thing but what we have in Nigeria, is Nigeria style of healthcare.”
Other healthcare professionals, who spoke with our correspondent, said until healthcare becomes readily accessible to Nigerians, irrespective of their status and location, the country would continue to grapple with issues of poor health.
However, worried about the rise in medical tourism among Nigerians , a Consultant Nephrologists and Clinical Director , St . Nicholas Hospital, Lagos, Dr. Ebun Bamgboye, said that the issue of medical tourism was on the increase because of lack of trust in Nigeria healthcare system.
Bamgboye also identified challenges of manpower, poverty and peculiarities of infections, such as cancers and late presentation to the hospital as other factors fueling medical tourism.
The stakeholders listed increase in funding, enabling environment, investment in research and development as the way forward.
