Healthcare: Beyond Ban Ki-moon’s Commendation

During a recent duty tour to Nigeria, the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), Mr Ban Ki-moon acknowledged Federal Government’s efforts in the passage of the National Health Bill which, he said, was capable of enhancing the country’s capacity to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), one of the greatest challenges that Africa faces.

Ki-moon specifically commended Nigeria for her interest in healthcare delivery as it affects maternal and children’s health, and also lauded the country’s determination and commitment towards the eradication of polio.

Ki-moon’s commendation underscores the need for the three tiers of government in Nigeria to sufficiently fund the health sector to enable it meet international standards as recommended by United Nations agency, the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Like other vital sectors of the economy, healthcare should not be the sole responsibility of government rather that of other stakeholders, especially the organized private sector (OPS) and other voluntary and non-governmental organisations.

Perhaps, that informed Ki-moon’s official visit to Nigeria, which from all indications, was to mobilize all stakeholders in the health sector to respond to the inevitable need to adequately fund the sector.

From the impressive turnout of the operators of the private sector, coupled with government’s desire to turn around the pathetic state of our health system, The Tide believes that the scourge rocking the sector may be check-mated sooner than later, if the interest shown by other stakeholders during the UN scribe’s visit to Nigeria is anything to go by.

The Nigerian private sector has enormous potentials and capability to; for instance, mobilize enough resources to tackle the high rate of child and mother mortality rate in the country, if there is sufficient commitment and will power to do so.

Nigeria’s private sector should, therefore, borrow a leaf from Friends of the Global Fund Africa (Friends Africa), a leading Pan African non-governmental organisation that mobilizes strategic political and financial support against HIV/AIDS pandemic.

The Nigerian OPS, like the Friends Africa, can therefore enter into similar ventures, such as, financing programmes and policies that can reduce to its barest minimum, the infant and women mortality rate, polio eradication, malaria, tuberculosis, leprosy, typhoid, among other major life-threatening ailments that ravage Nigeria’s landscape, particularly our rural communities where the bulk of the populace inhabit.

The Tide believes that an effective collaboration between various tiers of government and the private sector in the management of the nation’s healthcare delivery system will surely go a long way in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

In the same vein, government and other stakeholders can partner in checking the proliferation of fake and adulterated drugs, a cankerworm which had made nonsense of our healthcare system.

Statistics from various agencies indicate that over 60 per cent of drugs we use are either fake, adulterated, or substandard, and do not meet international standards.

It is, indeed, worrisome that despite government efforts to stem the menace of fake and sub-standard drugs, certain individuals and business organizations still go about thwarting genuine intention of government due to selfish interest and financial gains. This ugly development should and must not be allowed to continue. Efforts must be intensified to unmask those behind the illicit business.

It is against this background that we commend Rivers State Government policy to fight malaria scourge to a standstill through fumigation of the environment. The emphasis is on preventive rather than curative means of tackling malaria. It is, indeed, a worthy porgramme that others need to emulate and queue in accordingly.