DOCTORS in the West African sub region have bemoan the gory state of healthcare in the region and called on government to address shortage of experts in different fields of medicine
Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris said, ?our healthcare system is not where it is supposed to be.? He added that the nation was experiencing shortage of experts in different fields of medicine, saying, ? all hands need to be on deck? to find solutions to teething healthcare problems facing Nigerians.
Nigeria has one of the worst health indicators in the world. It ranks second after India in nations with poor maternal mortality rate (MMR). Its infant mortality rate stands at 91.54 deaths per 1,000 live births, with male children toping the rank.
Idris blamed inequality in revenue sharing formula between federal and state governments as part of the problems militating against the nation?s healthcare system as states and local governments were often left with crumbs in the formula to tackle numerous challenges, including health.
He noted that government and colleges in charge of training of medical personnel needed to partner to find lasting solution towards shortage of healthcare personnel.
?In a situation where the Federal Government sits on over 52 per cent of the revenue of this country and it is giving just 48 per cent to states and local governments where the problem lies, we cannot develop. ?So the restructuring has to start in Abuja,? Idris said.
Members of the Nigerian Chapter of the West Africa College of Physicians who paid a courtesy visit to the commissioner also shared his views on the dwindling fortunes of healthcare in the region.
National Chairman of Nigeria chapter of the college, Prof. Ifeoma Egbuonu, said: ?Nigeria has not taken seriously its health problems.?
Egbuonu, who is a paeditrician, noted that unless Nigeria sat down to articulate and address its healthcare challenges, the nation would not move forward health wise.
Noting that specialised healthcare was possible in Nigeria, she added that government needed to ?make work conditions conducive for people so that Nigerians abroad can come home to work for their country.?
The paediatrician, who noted that healthcare is never free anywhere as some people assumed, praised government?s initiative in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in addressing the challenge of healthcare financing.
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