A former Anambra State governor and Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 presidential election, Mr. Peter Obi, has bemoaned the state of the nation's health sector saying that Nigerians today resort to prayers whenever they fall sick to secure spiritual cure than going to a hospital.
He said the government rather than partner local pharmaceutical industries for manufacturing of high quality of drugs, and, medicines, what the government has been doing is issuing licences for importation of drugs and collection of revenues from the importers.
Obi made the statement at the 6th Public Lecture of the Board of Fellows, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (BOF-PSN) held at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka yesterday.
Obi who was the keynote speaker on the lecture topic: "Access to Quality Medicine in An Unstable Environment", stated that catering for the health of the citizens is one major priority of any government, but, lamented that due to leadership incompetence in the country the issue of health in the country is not being given attention it deserved.
Obi stated that he visited a primary health centre in an outskirt of Abuja in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and discovered that there were 50 pregnant women in the hospital, and there was just one medical staff attending to them.
He stated that there were about 24,000 primary health centres in the country, but lamented that none of them is functional.
He also lamented the allocation to health as contained in the current national budget saying that there was need to prioritise issues concerning health such that in addition to providing health insurance to all the citizens, there should be a deliberate policy by government to ensure local manufacture of drugs and medicines.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
He noted that drug which used to sell for the sum of N5,000 now sells for N18,000.
He also took a swipe at the governments at state and federal levels for giving priority to equipping health clinics at governors' clinics, Presidency and National Assembly while those for the citizens are neglected.
"We need to dismantle the type of leadership we have in the country, and install a government that will provide good governance, otherwise, we can't move forward," he said.
He lamented that Nigeria is a signatory to the SDGs, but, since the COVID-19 pandemic, the country has not been able to establish any laboratory to conduct tests for diseases.
The chairman BOF-PSN, Dr. Joel E. B. Adagadzu praised Peter Obi for his commitment and sacrifices in championing crusade for a new Nigeria.
He stated that pharmacists in the country are also committed to improving the health sector in the country.
