Health Wise

The Health Sector in Nigeria is seriously in dire need of resuscitation if not outright resurrection. Over four decades, issues’ pertaining to the lack of adequate primary and tertiary health care development has continuously contributed to the underdevelopment of many faucets of the Nigerian economy. When one looks at the issues that affect Health care in Nigeria its seems they are never ending because from all angles of the problem there seems to be no ready set remedies to aid this very important sector of the Nation. But one of the most important issues that cripple the health care sector is the lack of long term planning by the Government with a vision to achieve set goals and objectives. Primary healthcare over the years has not been supported giving ground for inadequate provision of health care to 80 percent of the population. According to Luke Onyekakeyah a former lecturer at Enugu State University of Technology, Enugu “without an integrated strategic plan involving the states and local governments, any talk of making primary healthcare the cornerstone of healthcare delivery in the country would be empty rhetoric”. In addition to the lack of planning, corruption also seems to be a major contributing factor in the mix of ailments that snuffs the life off a reliable health sector. Without a healthy Nation, as much as we make efforts for the development of Nigeria it almost seems that nothing is accomplished. The failure of the health sector is unlike any other major sector of Nigeria’s growth.
In 2009, the Nigeria health sector was besieged with all manner of plagues. Plagues that manifested in form of terrible communicable diseases like Cholera; at last count between the Northern states of Adamawa; where according to the commissioner for Information, up to 77 died and 950 where infected ( these figures have been contested since the chairman of the states medical and health union believes it runs into the hundreds) and Taraba where at least 25 people died, one wonders why in these times of rapid globalization, Nigerians are still dying of preventable diseases such as cholera; a disease which to tackle needs as little as information on its manner of manifestation, transmission and cure. The lack of adequate education of the populace was buttressed by the results of a poll conducted by NOI poll in Nigeria to access awareness levels of the existence of H1N1 virus (swine flu) and perception of Nigeria’s ability to deal with an its outbreak and other possible outbreaks in the country. The results of the poll showed that most Nigerians up to 70 percent of respondents polled do not have any confidence in the ability of the present administration to handle an outbreak of any kind.
Many factors have contributed to the gradual death of this very important part of our economic growth. One of these factors is the constant flight of qualified health workers to other countries. There are an unknown number of medical professionals that presently work outside of Nigeria, providing needed Human, capital and material resources for the socio economic, cultural and political development of other countries. But why should they? When Nigeria has not shown any serious steps towards creating a favorable environment to encourage medical professionals to stay back and serve their own. Why should they? It is a known fact that outside of Nigeria, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, physical therapists, microbiologists to name a few make more than a decent living and are treated with respect in working environments that encourage intellectual creativity and development.
According to Simeon Kayode Olubiyi, Course Cordinator National Open University of Lagos, “Better pay and medical facilities have been cited as the main reason for the flight of Nigerian doctors, nurses and paramedical staff” Speaking at the graduation ceremony of nurses at the National Orthopedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos he also stated thus ‘Nurses do work hard but they receive little as salary, which make them like anchors in the hospitals. Many of them who would want to further their education battle with job problems along with poor remuneration”. It does not take one to hear this from a working professional in the education sector to realize its validity.
In 2009, apart from the strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities there were also numerous strikes by medical workers; Doctors, Nurses and Paramedical staff on a National and state level. These industrial actions were as a result of remuneration with the various unions aggrieved over issues such as lack of an improved salary structure, overdue arrears, lack of promotions, non implementation of medical service scales, and non payment of 24 month monetization arrears. With the year 2020 very much around the corner how does Nigeria expect to achieve it much touted bump up into the list of first 20 industrialized nations in the world, when medical workers strike over resolvable issues that they truly deserve?
In the 21st century Nigeria is still flying its leaders abroad for medical procedures; making a mockery of its own medical facilities and professionals.
However, there are Nigerians in Diaspora who have been making themselves available, especially through the creation of medical missions and Non Governmental Organizations aimed at providing and giving back a little to communities in Nigeria. Mainly, these organizations because they are non-for-profit, run small
charitable operations but make a huge impact in the lives of the poor and needy.
Two of such organizations are Hope Restoration Medical Mission (HRM), established in 2003 and based in Queens, New York, U.S.A and Mutual Union of the Tiv in America (MUTA) established 3 years ago in 2006 in the state of Georgia, U.S.A. Both organizations have over the years established a track record for efficiency and reliability by providing medical missions backed by professionals and non professionals in the Disapora.
Hope Restoration mission has shown its dedication to the under privileged and has established good working relationships with major drug and home goods manufacturers in the United States. In turn, Pastor Reuben Chizor who leads this mission has extended the same philosophy of charitable giving to citizens of his home country. Over the past 5 years of its mission, HRM has donated over 2 million dollars worth of medication to communities in Lagos, Abuja, Delta, Anambra, Enugu and Imo State. In October of this year, eight (8) members of HRM were in Nigeria for their annual visit to various communities. The 2009 mission was made up of dedicated medical doctors, nurses, physical therapists and Social Workers. When there are in these beneficiary communities their work entails providing free blood pressure, blood sugar and ENT tests, administering over the counter and prescription medication as well as conducting cancer, diabetes, hypertension and HIV/AIDS awareness programs and testing. To members of HRM the service they provide is as fulfilling to them as the time they get to share with friends and families in these communities were they have become very familiar with; touching lives and creating smiles in the faces of Nigerians who at one point or the other have all but given up hope on their ability to get much needed medical attention.
In similar fashion, MUTA has also set a standard in Benue State where their efforts have been supported by the Benue State Government and backed by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). According to their past Vice President Mrs. Monica Hemden Eimunjeze, MUTA is all about members giving back to communities that have been instrumental to their growth and development into responsible individuals of a country they call home and their home country. With nine (9) and ten (10) medical professionals in 2008 and 2009 respectively taking that long trip from the southern state of Georgia, United States to Nigeria, MUTA has been able to provide medical assistance to more then 5,000 Five Thousand individuals in communities like Katsina-Ala, Gboko, Oturkpo, Makurdi, Vande-Ikya and Agbasha. In 2009 MUTA’s efforts where compounded because of a general strike by doctors in Benue state, making their outreach relevant to poor citizens who could not afford private medical care. Their medical mission has also organized conferences that dealt primarily with issues such as Emergency medical service; according to the Federal road Safety Commission (FRSC) 400 people die monthly in Nigeria as a result of road accidents of this amount up to 200 people can be saved if there are reliable emergency medical services.
In addition, there are also umbrella institutions that hold partnerships of different groups with one vision in sight. One of such NGO’s is the Partnership for Development (PTD). PTD has partnered with other NGO;s, women groups, USAID and government institutions at local and state levels in donating materials for orphans and vulnerable children. In addition PTD has been working in states like Delta, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi and Benue state, offering counseling, care and retroviral mentoring programme ((CAMP). With unity in purpose such as has been seen with PTD more can be achieved with less.
But I must say that there are many missions, NGO’s and individuals who have been contributing and continue to uplift the health care standards in Nigeria. Sometimes their endeavors are recognized and other times they are not. But mostly these exercises in giving are voluntary and need to be commended in all possible ways by a society that needs its members to be healthy and a Government that has failed in the provision of adequate and sustainable health care. This will only encourage more of these acts of kindness and raise our health indices.
Recently, in the House of Representatives a bill was introduced that seeks to create a Diaspora Commission. In all understanding this is a great effort by our legislature in recognizing a missing factor in the development of the Nation. In realizing that Nigeria loses more from having skillful individuals spread across various disciplines absent from the creation of critical national policy and decisions, the
House of Representatives takes a bold step towards taping into a resource that has long been ignored. But creating a commission is one thing and properly articulating its structure, framework, mechanism and eventual operation is another.
In the past and presently, Nigerians in Diaspora have in their minute ways contributed to different sectors of the country either by taking critical positions in Government Ministries or privately creating businesses and organizations that seek to transfer
knowledge to up and coming Nigerian based professionals. It is important to note that establishing a Diaspora commission will create a bureaucratic organization which if not properly managed will stifle the particular goals that it seeks to accomplish. Its is also important to note that as much as a commission as thus is needed, there is also a need for Nigerians in the Diaspora to be more organized under an umbrella in their respective countries of abode. Insisting on organization will make it a lot easier to aid a smooth transitioning of these individuals to their motherland.
What Nigerians in the Diaspora yearn for with regards to their efforts to give back and contribute to their Home country is an enabling environment that is free of political drawbacks but loaded with incentives both material and otherwise. These incentives would include adequate infrastructure and an organized system that supports individuals and organizations pursing philanthropic goals. Learning from the experiences of Non governmental organizations like Hope Restoration, MUTA, PTD and many others also helps, since they can serve as models for creating smoother running missions in the Health sector and other sectors of the Nigerian society that needs massive rehabilitation.


This article will be published in phenomenal people Magazine 2010

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