The health sector has been in crises for years. In 1985, the late Gen. Sani Abacha described teaching hospitals as “mere consulting clinics.” Nothing has changed since then. As a new year begins today, some Nigerians speak on their expectations of the government for the sector. WALE ADEPOJU, OLATUNDE ODEBIYI and SEUN AJAYI report.
To meet the yearnings of Nigerians and attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the health sector should be overhauled. This is the view of Nigerians in their projection for the sector this year.
A trader at the Ladipo Market, Mushin, Lagos, Mr Livinus Ani said the sector was characterised by shoddy performance last year.
He is not alone. Other Nigerians also feel the same. In separate interviews they scored the sector low, saying its practitioners should wake up.
Ani said: “In countries, such as Ghana, the government is serious about development which is why their products sell more than those made in Nigeria.
“Our government is not supporting small scale and medium scale enterprises to boost production in the pharmaceutical sector. There is no support whatsoever for locally manufacturers of medicine. Also, there is lack of access to affordable medicine. It needs to build the capacity of the industry to ensure there are drugs at cheaper rate. Despite government’s announcement that anti-malaria should be sold for N80 people still buy the drugs for much higher amount.
“Most of the drugs on sale lack the necessary active ingredients. When you take them it’s like ingesting chalk, especially drugs from India and China,” he added.
Ani said patients sometimes take malaria drug five times and still don’t feel better, saying one dose of genuine drug can bring immediate relief.
“I think the Federal Government doesn’t value the lives of the citizens,” he added.
On performance, he rated the sector zero, adding that the government should listen to the masses.
A school proprietor, Mr Muyiwa Oshaye, said: “I think, it is so far so good because the government has not done badly in the area of PHC. But they can do more by creating more PHC centres.
“On my expectation, I will like the government to help people living with HIV by ensuring that anti-retroviral drugs are available, easily accessible and affordable. The government should help them to ensure they enjoy job security so that they don’t suffer any stigmatisation in work places,” he added.
He said the sector didn’t deliver as it should on infant and matrernal mortality, adding that expectant mothers need to be given more attention.
Oshaye said last year, some expectant mothers died during childbirth. This shouldn’t be happening if adequate equipment is provided to help them at delivery, he said.
Cancer patients should be supported financially to get subsidised treatment because it’s very expensive to treat the disease.
On the performance of the sector, he said, it is 40 per cent because the yearnings of the masses in most critical areas of health care delivery system is yet to be met.
A trader, Mr Sunday Egbu said he didn’t visit any hospital last year, but he heard disturbing reports about the poor state of the facilities.
He recalled an incident in which a patient died at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba.
He said: “Armed robbers attacked a man with broken bottles and he was rushed to LUTH on emergency. The victim, a police officer was asked to pay a deposit of N50, 000, which the family couldn’t afford. His wife pleaded with the management but it turned deaf ear.
“The poor wife also tried to use the Automated Teller Machine (ATM), but it did not dispense cash so she became frustrated and agitated before she was advised by a concerned citizen to take her husband to another hospital.
“I think the hospital should have concentrated on saving lives than demanding for money. Worse still, is that it is asking for money before attending to an officer of the law.”
He said the government needs to sympathise with the common man. “When it comes to the issue of emergency, hospital should first treat the sick in emergency before any other considerations,” he added.
On performance, he scored the sector 40 per cent, adding that it needs improvement.
A resident of Ipaja, a Lagos suburb, Mr Obiora Okonkwo, said the government needs to improve on the medical facilities and drugs.
He said there was need to improve on infrastructure, adding that the state of primary health care (PHC) centres is an eye sore. “The country still lacks many facilities in the hospitals. This may be responsible for some deaths recorded last year. It should ensure there is training and development for doctors to improve treatment.
“The government should invest more in the sector to ensure sanctity and safeguard human lives. By my estimation, I think the sector performed below average,” Okonkwo said.
He urged the Federal Government to enact a law that would ensure gunshot victims and emergencies are treated first before asking for money or police clarification.
An accountant, who lives at Irawo, a Lagos suburb, Olukemi Opasho, said many government hospitals still lack basic things that would provide standardised treatment. She called for an efficient drugs distribution chain.
A 25-year-old auditor, Oretuga Taiwo, said the government has failed in the provision of affordable medical facilities, adding that health care is quite expensive.
A linguist/musician from Ikotun, Lagos, Tiena Egbegi, called for a better accident and emergency section in the hospital.
He said there was need for the government to enact a law to ensure that victims of accident and gunshots are given medical treatment before demanding for deposit or police report.
“Many lives have been lost due to this protocol, which results in delayed treatment and eventual death in some cases. People are reluctant to carry out treatment on accident victims or gunshot wounds because no one wants to be held responsible for their death or any police case and neither do they want to be forced to pay deposit for volunteering to save a life.
“I once saw a man bleeding to death while people watched with sympathy. They were scared of the consequences of getting involved because of the attitude of the police and, of course, the cost of treatment. Lives are more important and should first be considered in cases of emergency,” he added.
He said there should also be provision of medical facilities along the highways to attend to accidents victims.
Egbegi advised the government to do something about malaria because most sicknesses are linked to it.
A banker, Mr Onome Atife, said government hospitals are short of qualified staff and need more hands.
This, he added, was responsible for long queues in most of the tertiary and secondary health facilities across the country.
The government, he said, should provide state-of-the-art laboratories in its hospitals, claiming there is none that can be used for complex diagnosis.
He said patients are being sent to private laboratories for medical test.
Advising the government, he said: “There should be focus on making
