Steve Dada
8 July 2009
Lagos — Minister of Health, Professor Babatunde Osotimehin, yesterday said anybody who decides to travel abroad for medical treatment come year 2010 would be doing so as status symbol and not because such treatment sought after overseas is not obtainable in Nigeria.
The minister who disclosed this at a conference organised by Society for Quality Healthcare in Nigeria (SGHN), a non-governmental organization (NGO), noted that the government was not comfortable with the decision of some people going abroad for medical treatment, a situation which, he noted , is affecting the foreign exchange of the country.
To achieve this , Osotimehin said the Federal Government had concluded arrangements to convert four tertiary health institutions in the country by up-grading them to five-star hospitals that would possess facilities obtainable in such overseas countries.
The minister who was represented by the Medical Director of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Professor Akin Osibogun , named the hospital involved as University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria and National Hospital, Abuja.
The minister said the up-grading of the four tertiary hospitals will take off with the passage of 2010 national budget, disclosing that the arrangement had been made such that the hospitals had been distributed in four zones of the country, representing South-West, South-East, Far North and North-Central, to make the hospitals within the reach of anybody seeking treatment in the country.
In the recent times there had been lots of outcry over the decision of the top bras in the federal civil service taking off for overseas medical treatment for minor illnesses, but the minister said, the government will ensure that overseas treatment is halted except for other reasons by those who may wish to do so from 2010.
The minister assured that the hospitals are going to be equipped with the state-of-the-art medical equipment that can compare favorably with those obtainable in the industrialised countries.
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I think the minister's plan is commendable but will it work?Will the hospitals in the so called 4 zones have electricity supply 24 hrs like hospitals in New York and other developed places do?Will those who cannot afford to travel by air to such special hospitals be able to travel freely on well maintained, accident free,non death trap, pot-hole free,armed robbers free,well lit roads?By 2010(which is just around the corner)the above conditions could be met if we had dedicated,sincere leaders in place(but we DON'T!) I TREMBLE AND WEEP 4 MY COUNTRY,NIGERIA.WHEN WILL WE EVER GET THINGS RIGHT?
The minister DID… [Read Full Text]
Bravo, Nigeria!!! You've finally done something to remove the shame and humiliation Nigerians face overseas when issues about our state of health is discussed in European and American circles. These people often mutter among themselves, and ask "why do these Africans come to our country to occupy space at our hospitals?". With this news, Nigerians can hold their heads high, and can rest assured that the security of its leaders would no-longer be compromised. It was very appalling to observe that the nigerian President would fly to Germany and Saudi Arabia to be treated of some ailments that could've been… [Read Full Text]