Follow Us on Google
The Sun Media Foundation to partner National Assembly on healthcare
From Fred Itua, Abuja
Unless the federal and state governments move urgently, Nigeria’s health sector risks collapse, the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Health Services, Hon Dennis Idahosa, has warned.
The Edo lawmaker spoke at the National Assembly when he hosted the management team of The Sun Media Development Foundation, led by the Executive Director, Mr Victor Emeruwa.
Idahosa who, as Chairman of the sensitive Committee, is expected to provide legislative framework and supervision that will guide the management of Nigeria’s health sector.
The lawmaker during the meeting with The Sun Media Development Foundation team, revealed that the nation’s public health sector was in serious jeopardy.
He said out of the 33,000 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in Nigeria, only 5 per cent was functional. The 5 per cent amounts to about 1,650 Centres. Over 31,000 are moribund.
He said the National Assembly, through the House of Representatives Committee on Health Services, will collaborate with The Sun Media Development Foundation to formulate laws that will drive the health sector.
Speaking on a policy brief submitted to him the management team of the Foundation, detailing brain drain in the health sector, said the situation was alarming.
He said: “I want to appreciate The Sun Media Foundation. I’ve seen your policy document on brain drain in the health sector. If the Federal Government doesn’t do anything urgent about it. At the end of the day, we may run into trouble.
“My niece came from Germany. She’s a medical student. She had malaria and we took her to the hospital for treatment. While she was there, the only doctor who was available in the hospital told my niece that he was on the verge of completing arrangements to relocate abroad. This is a well-known hospital in Abuja.
“These are issues that need urgent government attention. We need to work with foreign partners. We need to come up with legislation to address this issue. Maybe to reconsider the wages of medical workers. As a nation governed by law, we can’t stop them from travelling abroad. But we need to find a solution.
“I’ve just been appointed as Chairman of this committee. We’ll be engaging the Minister of Health very soon. We’ve met with the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA). It is alarming to know that we’ve 33,000 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in Nigeria. Less than 5% is functional.
“We have a lot of work to do. I’ll always be available for advice and collaboration. The only way we can make these work is to address the issue of healthcare. We go overseas and spend millions on treatment.
“If we can fix our healthcare here, we can make it mandatory for every public and civil servant to attend to their medical needs in Nigeria. That will reduce the pressure on the dollar. If that’s done, we’ll be fine. I see a possible legislation in that direction.”
“Our foundation is well positioned, being attuned to the issues at the grassroots as well as having a huge deposition of information on the systems and outlook of primary healthcare situation that can help redefine the Nigeria healthcare systems and bring it to standard.
Emeruwa explained that it is no longer enough to make commitments and that actions must be taken urgently.
He said: “It is unacceptable to have more than 31,000 primary healthcare facilities moribund. That means citizens living within those centres are without affordable healthcare services, imagine the loss of life occurring perhaps unreported. This situation is of national importance. It must be done as a matter of urgent priority.
“We are excited about the budding partnership with the National Assembly to address the issues of manpower, quality facilities and maintenance across the primary healthcare systems across the country. As a foundation, we will follow through with this till we have an appreciable change in the primary healthcare sector within a timeframe.”
