By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), has tasked the federal and other tiers of government in Nigeria to without wasting time, declare a state of emergency on the nation’s health sector.
Oyo State Chairman of the association, Dr Ayotunde Fasunla said this on Tuesday in Ibadan during a Press briefing on activities lined up to commemorate the 2022 Scientific Conference themed “National Health Authority Act- The Soundbites” and sub-theme “Industrial Harmony in the health sector – A necessity for health sector growth”.
Dr. Fasunla declared that this became necessary in view of the looming danger of a total collapse of the sector if something urgent is not done and that NMA may not be able to control or stop health workers especially medical doctors from seeking greener pastures outside the country.
The Oyo State NMA Chairman stressed that the association can only urge the government to address the bureaucracy surrounding the employment of more hands to fill the vacuum already created in the health sector.
“In the most challenging circumstances, we have treated and will continue to treat, those who are ill in our nation. We strive to satisfy the society health needs and expectations despite the fact that we work in an unfriendly, hostile and demanding environment, with poor healthcare professionals”, he said.
Dr Fasunla added, ” it is disturbing that thousands of doctors have become so disenchanted with the Nigeria healthcare system that they are actively migrating to more developed countries with better health system and economy”.
“The danger therefore looms as this may be the beginning of a total collapse of the Nigeria healthcare system, except urgently addressed. It calls for a sober reflection as it underscores the need for a declaration of a state of emergency in the Nigerian health sector.”
Speaking further, the NMA Chairman stressed, “this is not a proposal to stop doctors from emigrating, but a call to the government and well-meaning Nigerians to define the magnitude of the problem within the health system, explore the root causes and articulate solutions in the immediate, short and long term.”
He maintained that the poor state of the government owned hospitals in the country ” is largely due to poor financing noting that the budgetary allocation to health in the 2022 was approximately 4.2 percent of the national budget”, and that the figure falls significantly below the recommendation of the African Union at the Abuja declaration of a minimum of 15 percent, adding that the situation is worse at the state level.
“The infrastructure deficit is such that some of our hospitals spend a significant amount of their internally generated revenue on diesel to ensure power supply. There is scarcity of fund to apply to equipment upgrade, manpower development or even recruitment of new staff. Many of our hospitals are grossly short staffed. Even the process of replacing migrating staff is bogged down by a rigid and insensitive government bureaucracy. It is our plea to the government to commit more unds to health sector so that the system does not collapse.
“Only healthy people can have the will and strength to contribute to the growth and development of a nation’s economy. Therefore, I call on the well-meaning Nigerians, philanthropist, non-governmental organisations to join hands with the government to improve the conditions of the health system in the nation, especially Oyo state. It is obvious that the government cannot handle it alone”.
On the theme of the conference, Dr Fasunla declared that the new National Health Insurance Authority bill recently passed into law is to help the indigent, who cannot afford to pay their health insurance premium, adding, “while this is a commendable achievement, it is far from reality and the content is less than the ideal.
“The poor economy in the country is biting hard on individuals. Many who are ill cannot afford healthcare because they do not have insurance. In order to achieve a overage for the citizens, payment for the treatment should not be from out of pocket as it is presently practiced by more than 90 percent of the citizens.”
