Thursday, June 27, 2024 -The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has highlighted the state of Nigeria’s healthcare system, and life expectancy, calling for urgent reforms to improve access to quality medical care for all citizens.
Expressing his views as a guest speaker at
the 6th Public Lecture of the Board of Fellows, Pharmaceutical Society of
Nigeria, held in Awka, Anambra State on Wednesday, Obi pointed out that
Nigeria’s Human Development Index (HDI) ranking remains low, even after 25
years of democratic governance.
He emphasised that health, particularly life
expectancy, is a critical measure of development.
“When you want to measure this Human
Development Index, the most critical measure number one is Health – life
expectancy.
“Life expectancy as we know today in
Nigeria is among the lowest in the world. We are about 65 years, compared to
India at about 70, Bangladesh at about 72, Egypt at about 71, and the
Philippines at about 70,” Obi stated.
Obi outlined several issues plaguing
Nigeria’s healthcare system, such as the country’s minimal functioning primary
healthcare facilities, alarmingly high infant mortality rates, that the
majority of drugs are imported, making them costly and frequently out of reach
for many Nigerians, and the impediments to local drug manufacturing caused by
government support gaps and regulatory obstacles.
The former Anambra State governor criticised the government’s approach to healthcare, stating, “We have a system that does not understand what they are supposed to do to help our citizens.”
Obi also highlighted the economic impact of poor healthcare,
stating, “Many people with many illnesses can no longer be able to afford
treatment. Nigerians now spend more than their income on food because
everything has tripled.”
Obi further called for a complete overhaul
of the system, emphasising the need for committed and compassionate governance.
He suggested several solutions including,
investing in critical areas of healthcare, supporting local drug manufacturing,
designing affordable insurance schemes and lifting people out of poverty to
enable their participation in healthcare programs, among others.
“We must dismantle this criminality called
Nigeria today and make it a country where people will know that they are
elected to serve the people and they focus on doing the right thing,” Obi
added.
Taking to his X page on Wednesday, Obi
added, “Access to quality medicines remains vital for all human beings whether
sick or well, who seek medical consultation, and it is proven that 90 per cent
of all medical consultations end in one form of prescription or another.
Therefore, the availability of quality medicines remains the key armoury for
the fight for well-being, while pharmacists remain the armourer.
“The reason we lack quality medicines is due
to the same socio-economic problem affecting production in the country, where
regulatory agencies now function as revenue collectors rather than as enablers
and access to financing is not available or at an excessive rate. There is
hardly any health insurance regime in place to guarantee access to those who
cannot afford immediate cash payments.
“Excruciating poverty and severe economic
hardship have also kept functional healthcare and quality medicines out of the
reach of the poor. The only medicine our people take now is prayer,” he wrote.
Obi thanked the Board of Fellows, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria for organising the event and for their contributions to healthcare in Nigeria.
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