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For the survival of the human race, people have realized many centuries ago that every organized society in the world needs good and sound healthcare delivery system. This has encouraged every nation to create enabling environment for the growth of healthcare delivery services for its people. The provision of good health environments has empowered their citizens to effectively exercise their right to life.
They have set good standards through the provision up-to-date facilities, service rendering and enforcement of policies for their people to have access to affordable and sound healthcare services. The governments that took this responsibility as essential primary duty of care to cater for the well-being of their people have refused to compromise standard over the years. And their people continue to have access to up-to-date facilities and technical know-how to maximize their healthy lives. While those nations that compromised standards have poor healthcare system, they also seek for foreign medical treatment.
Successful governments regularly back up their healthcare achievements by encouraging their professionals to acquire advance knowledge and undertake developmental researches for the growth of their health sectors. They do not run their sectors like offices, or consultation firms, or drug distribution centres. Their governments do not see themselves as leaders, but rather, they see themselves as public servants who make and implement government policies and programs not for the development of their pockets but of their people. They never leave their duty for the people to come and do, they implement and run their health sectors through their ministries, agencies and other government regulating bodies. They make rules, regulate the system, and ensure compliance to serve their people better. This is the essence of their adequate budgeting to improve the lives of their people (which include them too as member of the same society). They don’t budget on figures thought through their heads. Their budgeting is not to award contracts and take supplies, they budget to improve and advance accessibility of their people to best healthcare services.
By the level of what operates in Nigeria, governments at all levels in the country have failed to provide such enabling healthy environment for both the poor and the rich to enjoy best healthcare services like other hardworking government does for their people. The corruption perpetuated with government in Nigeria has made it impossible for the people to benefit good healthcare services despite government huge and wasteful spending on the health sector: no sustainable good healthcare delivery system; no single health facility to boast of in Nigeria.
The people and government always go abroad for medical treatments before their health is guaranteed. Many health situations that could have been attended to on time hopelessly deteriorate to chronic ones before they see medical attention for treatment or abroad. Sometimes, this is due to non-affordability, poverty and discouragement by the government who do not believe in the country’s healthcare delivery services.
Meanwhile, Nigerian medical professionals are capable rendering all the services they are seeking abroad. The problem is the challenges posed by the administration of healthcare delivery system by the government. The poor masses who formed bulk of the population of the people are suffering most from the overwhelming challenges. Sometimes, their health deteriorate beyond care before they could afford or see attention, and most of the time, they don't seek attention due to poverty. The rich too waste their hard earned money to go abroad for treatment.
However, the people in the medical profession in the country have protested times without number to persuade government to live up to standard, meet its promises and operate a better healthcare delivery system. They have organised various programs, offered recommendations, and also went on industrial strike action all to no avail. The level of corruption in the government has become so much that the health sector remains very poor and the professionals are not encouraged.
This consequently forced many experts in the field to leave the country for better working environment abroad. Some of those who left Nigeria are now among the best medical experts in the world. In fact, some of them have naturalized themselves into citizens of those nations they operate in other to realize their dreams and goals. That is why up till today, experts in various professions in Nigeria continue to seek for job opportunities abroad due to the continuous failure of governance not only in the health sector, but in virtually every other sector of the economy. It is unfortunate that such is the case in Nigeria, but the government must be more committed to workable transformation agenda that will benefit the health of the mass populace of its people.
Considering the implications wasteful budgeting and high cost of spending to fly people abroad for treatment (both rich and poor), if treatments are available in Nigeria, over 60% of the cost of treatment will be saved by all. And even less than 40% that might be expended will go into our economy as patronage for medical services. Professionals in the medical field would regularly improve their expertise and advance the country's healthcare delivery services to become competitive and better than many of the government and co they go abroad to patronize.
When people go abroad for treatment, they don't go alone; they always have company for the trips. Cases of government officials are the worst. Their huge and extra expenses (which are deducted from government pocket) include bearing the cost of government personnel and aides on their medical trips as if they had moved their offices to the foreign hospitals. So, if treatment is available in Nigeria, there will be no need for waste, flight, lodging and numerous expenses away from home that the government and others who can afford had to bear, otherwise, this health problem will further impoverished the people.The president, governors and all other political office holders, including their friends and families, do not receive medical treatment in Nigeria. Calculate their figure and imagine how much Nigeria health sector is loosing every year? They all go abroad for treatment, just like the First Lady of the President, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, right now is receiving treatment abroad in a German hospital for Ruptured Appendicitis. The decision for her to be flown abroad for treatment was made by the President, meaning that the government know by practice that healthcare delivery system in the country is poor and below standard.
But I want to ask. Can't doctors in Nigeria diagnose ruptured appendicitis and do its surgery? Is there no facility for treating this ailment in Nigeria? Why do the government go abroad for treatments? What efforts is the government making to improve Nigeria health sector to cater the needs of the helpless population? What steps have the government taken to cut down public spending in the area of healthcare and invest it in other developmental projects to save the people. If Nigerian doctors are doing well abroad, then what is wrong with them doing well in Nigeria? Is there no guaranteed medical treatment in Nigeria? If there is, why are government officials going for treatment abroad?
If care is not taken, the deteriorating state might worsen to the level of government ended up misleading the country to buy National Health Service from another country. Why? The situation has become so bad that even when the top government officials need to rest or live a normal life, they will go abroad to patronize foreign hotels, hospitals, recreation centres and so on. But how many foreigners (especially the people in government too) come to Nigeria for medical treatment, or rest, or buy houses, or patronize schools? How many good hospital and facilities can Nigeria boast of to compete with the foreign ones they patronize? But Nigerians desperately run abroad, live with their families abroad, buy houses, government officials run secret accounts abroad, politicians hide their loots and investments abroad. Very soon if care is not taken, many of the foreigners they patronize will ride under foreign investment policy of same government to take over the jobs of Nigerian doctors since the government don’t value them too. Is it not a big shame that the people in government who are to ensure there is provision of good healthcare delivery system are the ones going abroad for medical treatment? So, how do they expect the people who are not enjoying the various allowances, bills payment and other gains they are benefiting to enrich themselves in government feel?
It is glaring that the government of Nigeria have big task in their hands to ensure that good healthcare services are available and affordable by the people. The government should understand that health is wealth, and as such, must review its spending, re-strategized better on healthcare delivery, cut down waste and build its health sector to serve the nation better. Government must create enabling environment for Nigerians to enjoy affordable good healthcare services without travelling abroad. With the poor economic situation of the people and the high level of poverty in the country, government acting right will contribute to save many people from Satanism, crime, terrorism and other wrongful acts to make a living and paying exuberant bills.
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