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From Okwe Obi, Abuja
A member, representing Idah, Ibaji, Igalamela Ofu Federal Constituency of Kogi State in the House of Representatives, David Idris Zakaria, has encouraged Nigerians to embrace tele-health practice, in order to cut down $10 billion annual manpower waste.
Ofu, who spoke yesterday at a health event in Abuja, explained that Nigerians spend so much to physically access medical personnel and centres.
But, with the adoption of tele-health practice, he said most Nigerians would not need to visit medical centres except on rare health emergencies.
He said: “This initiative is very important, a very good idea to develop. I think it is one of the key points that we should welcome. We must be honest to ourselves.
“This is the first of its kind. We have been hearing, but it has drawn near to us. Sitting down in your home to get a treatment is one of the things that we have not seen before and we have started feeling it now.
“Talking about the rural areas, yes, technology has also spread across the globe, wherever you are now. As far as you can, you have what they call a phone to receive a call, that is the only channel you can use.
“So getting treatment from these people is very simple as far as you are receiving calls. And I can testify, I do not know about other areas, but the constituency I represent, there is no one left over, there is nowhere you cannot find a network.
“As far as there is a network, I believe you get the attention of these people and you get their service effectively.”
The Founder and Lead Person, Home Health Management Services Limited, Sam Adejoh Okedi, estimated that Nigeria loses about $10 billion dollars to manpower.
Okedi said the vision of the organisation is to promote tele-health practice and ease medical care.
He said: “I will tell you that it is possible to save up to $10 billion annually. Our vision is to have a continental footprint and that is the beauty about telemedicine and tele-health. We can be here, have consultation with people in Ghana, in North Africa, South Africa or Eastern Africa.
“It is an upcoming and growing system, part of medicine and one good thing about this is to save costs, your travel costs.
“Because if you are leaving your house to go to the hospital, you are either buying fuel or you are taking a taxi and you know anytime you leave your house you are also taking risks. You could have an accident.”
