The nation’s health sector is still struggling 53 years after independence; this is the verdict of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) as the body reappraised the progress made so far in the sector.
Dr. Osahon Enabulele, NMA President lamented the neglect of the sector over the years, saying rather than improving the sector, the political class at all levels prefer to travel abroad for medical attention.
He therefore, called on leadership at the federal. State and local governments to deploy the much neddde political will to improve health sector for the benefit of the people.
Mr. Ebabulule stated “As Nigeria celebrates her 53rd Independence anniversary, she could in subsequent years, witness better performance in her overall growth and development if greater efforts are made to secure:
“Political commitment to health by all levels of government, particularly state and local governments with political leaders at local, state and federal government levels committing themselves to the utilization of public healthcare facilities in their communities, states and local governments rather than the frequent recourse to foreign medical care for medical conditions that can be effectively managed in Nigeria; This will save Nigeria from the huge capital flight and annual loss of over $800 million due to unrestricted medical tourism.”
The NMA President however said the sector could record significant improvements “with sincere improvement in the budgetary provision for health to at least 15% of Nigeria’s national budget, backed with adequate release and effective utilization of the available funds and resources”.
