SEVEN GOOD POINTS MINUS GOOD HEALTH
Last year, the President and Commander in Chief of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria, President Umaru Yar'Adua had on assumption of
office set a target for his administration by identifying seven key
priority areas in the task of the transformation of our country into
an industrialised and a world class economy. These seven priority
areas are: power and energy, food security and agriculture, wealth
creation and employment, mass transportation, land reform and
security, qualitative and functional education. He listed these seven
good points minus good health.
It is said that health is wealth. All the afore mentioned priority
areas of this administration are geared towards wealth creation and
economy revelance. But it is also very true that he who neglects his
health in the pursuance of wealth might get wealth eventually but may
not be alive to eat from it. It is also very true that there are many
Nigerian doctors abroad owing to the deteriorated state of our health
sector. If it is true that health is wealth, these doctors abroad
means wealth abroad. Our focus has been on getting wealth which we end
up losing to the failing health sector.
Since the priorities of this administration did not include health, it
means that the end is not in sight for our public office holders'
trips abroad for medical checks. You cannot hear that a public office
holder in the organized economies goes outside the shores of his
country for treatment. But millions of dollars, pounds and euros are
wasted by our public office holders on medical trips abroad. The
servant leader is not exempted from this practice. Even before he
assumed office as the head of state, he had been part of this
practice. It remains to be seen if he can ask others to stop the
practice he is also involved in.
It is very obvious that they may have preferred spending the wealth
targeted by 2020 for burial ceremonies, obituary adverts and parties.
People from this part of the world prefer 'Befitting Burial' to good
health management and care. So it may not be a mistake that this
administration's priorities do not include good health care. Even
individual or corporate firms are not left out in this neglect.
Organisations here all focus on the profit that they can make but pay
little or no attention to the health care of their employees. Many
have been paralysed, some have lost limps, some severely wounded and
some have died in the course of performing their duties but little or
no attention was given. It has almost become a norm.
The servant leader said he had declared state of emergency on energy
and we are waiting to see the outcome. But he should also consider
declaring that state of emergency on the health sector. If there were
good hospitals and personnel 'good enough' to be called 'good', he
would not had been flown to Germany while he was rounding up his
campaign before the elections in 2007 or to Saudi Arabia not too long
ago. He needs to do something serious in this direction if we are to
take all his words very seriously.
The servant leader supports the removal of the immunity clause on
serving executives; He should support the stopping of medical checks
abroad by public office holders also. Our health sector needs urgent
attention in order to save the nation the huge resources taken to
other lands in the name of medical checkups or treatment. If the spate
of medical trips abroad is not checked, these men and women in the
corridors of power would not look seriously into the state of our
health institutions. They all claim they have their peoples mandate
and represent the people. But the people they claim that they do
represent cannot afford basic health care services not to talk of
medical trips abroad. Something needs to be done about our health
sector urgently, so that by 2020 if we get the targeted wealth, we
would not lose it to failing health. A stitch in time does not only
save nine but 2020. Nigeria can be great again. Yes, we can! Good
health care is possible!
ARINZE ALINNOR A.
P. O. BOX 17985, IKEJA - LAGOS.
08033001782, 01-8964893
arinze198@gmail.com
www.arinze198.wordpress.com
