…FOCUS ON WORLD STANDARD HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE INSTEAD OF DEPENDING ON FOREIGN HOSPITALS FOR MEDICAL TREATMENTS

BY ZIK GBEMRE

Practically everyone is often availed opportunities throughout their lifetime, which they are expected to take advantage of and transform their lives and improve their economic status, by the choices and actions they take. But every time you lose or misuse/abuse such opportunities to grow, you will have yourself to blame, as others will move ahead of you. As it is with individuals, so it is with societies and nations that have been endowed with so much natural and human resources that have the propensity to catapult them to greatness. In the last two decades, we have seen Nigeria experience and witness so much wealth from oil and gas revenues and from other sectors as well, which sadly, our political leaders never judiciously used to transform the infrastructural needs and deficits in the country, especially in the nation’s Health Sector. Rather, our political leaders prefer to fly abroad for every medical need – leaving the general populace to continue to suffer with the existing deplorable Health facilities across the country.

Now that the entire world is faced with the CoronaVirus (Covid-19) pandemic, in which the developed nations of Europe, parts of Asia and North America are the worst hit; our Nigerian political leaders have suddenly realized that staying in their home country Nigeria, and ‘manage’ whatever health facilities within the country, is now a better and safer option than their practice of flying abroad for medical care. Who would ever thought that the habit of traveling abroad for medical attention, would no longer become an attractive status symbol which our political leaders and their elites, used to gloat about? Now that the entire world is on lockdown, where will they go to for their health care services? Since Nigeria’s health sector, which they have neglected for years, was never good for them. Nobody thought that there will be a time like this where the entire world would be on lockdown, and every country will be caring for themselves, and nobody will be talking of politics and world supremacy and what have you. Everybody is scared to travel out.

We only hope and pray, that with this CoronaVirus pandemic experience, which we know would pass away, our Nigerian political leaders will learn a vital lesson in life – which is: whatever hospitals and Health infrastructure that they refuse, or unwillingly to build/provide today with the nation’s resources, will one day come back to “haunt” them or become their savior. And so, it is with every other sector in the country. Whatever schools, roads, housing, electricity supply, improved economy and standard of living; that they refuse/neglect/abandon/unwilling/disregard today or whenever they were/are in political power – will one day come back to “haunt” them and their future generations. That is one principle of life. These things have a way of coming back to “haunt” people. So, when a State Governor refuses to do what is expected of him when given the opportunity to serve in that public office, let him be reminded that posterity has a way of catching up! If not in their lifetime, it will be in the lifetime of their children, and children’s’ children.

Today, Nigeria is faced with a dilemma and health crises in the face of the CoronaVirus pandemic because we really do not have the health infrastructure to withstand the magnitude this sort of health challenge poses. Truth is, as long as we are on this earth, man will continue to battle various strange illnesses, especially as the world population grows and global climatic changes take its toll. As such, it is advisable for nations to ALWAYS STAY PREPARED for such natural disasters and pandemic. Yes, we were able to manage Ebola, but our political leaders are yet to learn from that experience by aggressively improving the nation’s health facilities/infrastructure all these past years.

This is the time for Nigerian political leaders across all boards are required to think for the nation and its people’s interests and do the right thing. This is the time Nigerian political leaders should focus on building world-class standard health infrastructure across the length and breadth of the country, instead of being selfish by depending on foreign hospitals for their own medical treatments. Can the Nigerian politicians travel out now? Of course not, they have nowhere to go to. Let this be a lesson they should learn and start building world standard hospitals because Health they say, is Wealth. Without a good and reliable Health System, a nation’s economy can crumble overnight – as we are seeing happening now across the globe.

With all the advancement in Modern Health Care delivery/service that is evident and obtainable around the globe, it is rather unfortunate and sad to note that Nigeria, despite being blessed in abundance, both in human and material resources, the nation’s health sector is nothing to write home about. Considering the daily alarming death toll in various Hospitals/Clinics, particularly public hospitals across the nation, the Nigerian health sector should be a matter of utmost importance to the present administration. It is not rock science to understand that, with the evident population explosion across the country, there is no way the existing medical facilities and medical infrastructure around the country, especially public healthcare centers like Teaching Hospitals or General Hospitals, can cater to the rising population. Some of the Federal Teaching Hospitals were built over two decades ago, and we can imagine the population growth within this same period in the country. So, we now have on our hands, medical infrastructure that are being overstretched, overused, and to make matters worse, their facilities are outdated, and they are not regularly maintained and equipped with modern facilities as they should.

It is not like the nation does not have the money and resources to transform its health sector and bring it the standard of the ones abroad. The problem has always been our selfish political leaders, particularly those at the Executive and Legislative Arms of Government at both the Federal and State levels. The revenue used annually to ‘maintain’ these two arms of government at the Federal and State levels, is more than enough to transform our nation’s health sector, as well as other sectors in the country that would improve the living standard of the Nigerian masses. It took China about 10 days, to build the massive Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, China (where the CoronaVirus disease first broke out), which can accommodate 1,000 beds. With over 160 Management Staff, 240 Construction Workers, and over 100 excavators and bulldozers, they were able to build that hospital within days to combat/manage the spread of the CoronaVirus.

Though, we have said that the Chinese cannot be trusted as a people, especially in the face of this pandemic, but our political leaders can still learn from this example when it comes to having focus, vision and exhibiting the Will power to achieve something in the interest of the populace. We have always had the money to transform the nation’s health sector, but our political leaders have always abused and misused the opportunities given to them. And that is why for years, our Nigerian Medical Doctors/Nurses, said to be amongst the best brains in the world’s medical field, have been moving in their droves to other developed countries where they have the developed healthcare system and welfare package to offer their expertise.

Some few years ago, it was reported that Nigeria spends an average of N2.5t annually on medical tourism. This includes what Nigerians spend on medicine (prescription) component of their treatment while outside the shores of the country, which is estimated to be at least $250m or N125b. The situation, according to Nigerian Doctors and Pharmacists, will persist until the Nigerian Governments at all levels will pay due attention to improving the ‘deteriorating condition of health facilities’ in the country. Essentially, they are worried that the frequent trips by the rich and top Government officials for medical attention abroad have not helped the situation, with hundreds of millions of naira spent out of government purse – money which can be channeled towards reviving the nation’s failing health sector.

Nigerian political leaders should ask themselves when they travel abroad for medical treatments, do they get treated in Teaching hospitals of Europe and the rest? We all know that the medical infrastructure and medical personnel they have in any of the hospitals abroad are still the same or even better, like the ones they have in the Teaching hospitals in Europe/North America. Well, it is time for Nigerian political leaders at all levels to make all the Public Hospitals across the country very standard, whether Teaching hospitals or General hospitals and with the same medical personnel.

With the reported amounts of huge funds that were stolen and misappropriated within the Government space, particularly within two decades, if a quarter of such monies were spent on the nation’s health sector, the Nigeria of today will not fret over the CoronaVirus pandemic.

Even China, that gave birth to the said Covid-19, which is the most dangerous virus the world has seen so far, will not open its border for Nigerian political leaders and families to come for medical treatments for now. Let that be a lesson for them. Even the American businessmen have learned their lessons. The US businessmen who took most of their factories to China because of their cheap labour, have now given the Chinese the window to brag because their owned factories were exported for selfish reasons, and they cannot retrieve same from the Chinese Government and people, who have shown to have no human face. The US investors, for instance, needed cheap labour that will make them maximize huge profits. That is why companies like Apple, Microsoft, you name it, have all exported their manufacturing factories to China because the Chinese with its massive population, can use a number of persons to do more work with lesser wages/salaries. There are indeed a lot of lessons to be learned here by the Nigerian Government.

Zik Gbemre.

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