HEALTH expert, Dr Olalekan Ogungbemi, has tasked the Federal Government to give adequate attention to the health sector in the country in order to revitalise the sector.
Dr Olalekan, who is the founder of Moole Charity foundation, stated this on Tuesday that the calls became necessary owing to the current deplorable state of health in the country.
According to him, it is worrisome that Nigeria came third last in the latest world health ranking among 200 countries of the world.
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Dr Olalekan expressed disappointment over the decreased in the national health budget 2018, saying that it has compounded the problems of the already fragile health sector.
“As a doctor and someone who owns health foundation that is involving in massive free medical health outreach to different people; IDPs, less privileged people among others, I am speaking from first-hand experience.
“The health budget of the country that is less than 10 per cent for the population of over 180 million people is something to worry about, last year’s budget was N4. 23 per cent but now we are having 3. 9 per cent, which l perceived as a decline.
“Aside from health budget, it is very clear to people who use government own hospitals that they record high rate of death, therefore I am calling on government to wake up to this challenge and to do more for Nigerians,” he said.
Dr Olalekan equally expressed worry of unduly advantage private hospitals were taking over deplorable state of public hospitals to fraudulently charge exorbitant bills for diseases that could be treated with a little money in Government hospitals.
Dr Olalekan has appealed to the federal government to provide facilities, equipping nations’ hospitals as well as creating an enabling working environment for medical personnel in order function optimally.
“They can equip hospitals with facilities and make health care available and affordable for Nigerians so that Nigerians can stop dying from diseases that are potentially preventable and treatable,’ he said.
On brain drain, Olalekan said Government should encourage medical personnel by providing incentives and better working environment for them to stay back in the country.
Dr Olalekan called Government to provide security and other supports for NGO who were working round the clock to complement government efforts in the Northeast and other places in Nigeria.
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