OUR
DOCTORS, OUR LEADERS, THEY DESTROYED THE HEALTH SECTOR!
Health they say is wealth. This saying is true! But how serious have we taken this issue of health? It has also been said, how you make your bed is how you lie on it.
How we value an issue determines how we handle it. Our health sector is at the verge of being destroyed and until the government takes a decisive action, it will be disastrous. No unhealthy nation can ever produce healthy citizens.
There was a time our health sector was working well. You just walk into a hospital and you will see how coordinated they were and how they will attend to you. Private hospitals were not an issue at all, and they were few. Drugs were available, services were rendered freely, and professionalism was valued. Everybody does his/her work well. Patriotism was at the forefront, but somewhere along the line we missed it.
The doctors played a vital role in destroying our health sector. Now I know you may think this may be a spurious allegation, but before you pounce on me, follow me gently. Now, if you have been going to the hospital you will agree with what I am about to tell you.
First, Monetary gain got the most part of them as against trying to save humanity. This worm at into their fabric to the extent they forgot humanity and are hunting mammon! Secondly, they started diverting patients to their private clinics which they started or their colleagues’ clinics and hospitals as a result, they give little or no attention to the public hospitals which majority of the populace may enjoy: Also any good thing the government provides for the public hospitals, whenever it is convenient they divert to their clinics or hospitals. This has adversely affected the public hospitals and ever since then, we have not recovered.
Government too was not helping matters. The
culture of supervision and inspection died, where there is, it was not done sincerely
but only ceremoniously. The inspectors usually do it for their pockets only: The
infrastructure was left to dilapidate without any attention; our hospitals now
look like pigries, everywhere smelling in a country God so blessed and endowed
with a lot but leadership.
Leaders
The way and manner our leaders travel abroad
for medical checkups and treatment is a vote of no confidence on our health
system; that is supposed to be fixed by them but shamefully, they abandon all
that and pack our common wealth, I mean at our expense going to add to the
wealth of other nations! What is wrong with? Why should our leaders always be
going abroad for medical treatments when we have qualified doctors? Supposing
those nations did not work hard to develop their health sectors to that
standard, what would they have done? All they need to do their job effectively
is to provide the necessary equipment for the job. But No! They prefer to
travel abroad for treatment. Imagine President Donald Trump of America going to
India for medical treatment! We need to change our attitude toward nation
building. No one else will build our nation for us, it is only in Nigeria I
know that you only renovate and clean your house when you are about to receive
an important guest. This need to change: leaders are expecting the led to
change when they themselves are not willing to change. A good leader makes an example
and followers follow along.
In the 2016 budget, N3.87 billion was allocated as capital allocation in the budget for
State Clinic which is more than all the federal teaching hospitals in the
country yet; drugs scarcity hit the clinic last year. The President traveled to
UK for treatment and as at the time of writing this article, President
Muhammadu Buhari is already in the UK for another treatment. The question is
how many people have access to the state house clinic? And compare it to the
larger populace that cannot even afford ordinary panadol. According to Vanguard,
the Senior
Special Adviser to the President on (Media and Publicity), Garba Shehu in
a statement explained that the State House Clinic is not the President’s or
anyone’s personal clinic but one which looks after government officials and
others. According to him, increased spending on government health institutions
in the current budget should be seen in the light of President Buhari
administration’s plan to improve medical facilities at home, as well as
discourage medical tourism by citizens which impact negatively on the country’s
foreign reserve. These were the words of Garba Shehu ad verbatim!
But what do we see? Well, I leave it there to judge.
My take on this is, if sincerely they want to
improve government health institution to discourage medical tourism by citizens
which impact negatively on the country’s foreign reserve, concerted effort
should have been made to do just that. If that money is being put to use, it
will be achievable, but until then, Mr. President has gone on medical tourism.
Now you can see why I said our leaders helped
in destroying our health system! When are we going to get it right? Why should
we be budgeting such huge sums of monies yet still go abroad for the same
purpose? The answer is that, our leaders have passed a vote of no confidence on
our health system, and secondly, because they can afford the medical tourism
according to Mr. Garba Shehu not minding if less privileged Nigerians cannot
afford it. As such, they have left us to our fate! It is now “To your tents O
Israel!” It is a shame! A shame to any leader who allows such to happen during
his or her regime. Leaders must know that God brings them there for a purpose
and that it is an opportunity to serve the people of God. Therefore, in
serving, serve well.
In conclusion, it is the obligation of every
responsible government to provide social amenities such as roads, schools,
hospitals, drugs etc., Any government that fall short of this is simply
irresponsible. This is not meant to castigate the government but a clarion call
to wake up to its responsibilities.
Caleb Zadok
Adiga Productions
07034655913
Email:
zadokcalebadiga@yahoo.com 
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