Between Orthodox And Homeopathic Medicine

I picked a local newspaper, precisely the November. 7-13 2012 edition of the “Public Express” newspaper and on page 13,  there was a topic: RSG TO ESTABLISH COLLEGE OF MEDICINE” in the New Rivers State University of Science and Technology.

The news revealed that His Excellency, Rt. Hon.  Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi  gave his approval, during the opening ceremony of the recent Nigeria Medical Association  Physicians Week at the State House of Assembly Complex in Port Harcourt. According to the paper publication, His Excellency, who spoke through his representative, Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tamunoiyoriari Parker, said that government is desirous to set up a medical college that will be among the best in the world. He maintained that government would ensure that it liaises with the best universities abroad, to make the college best in the country. He, therefore, solicited for doctors to partner with him to work out strategies and technical details to bring this dream to fruition.

Already, I know it is only members of the public who  have been victims of the circumstances of this write-up, by  way of drug injury, agony, or painful Medical disappointments  in process of seeking for good health, that will appreciate this  rejoinder. There are other groups out there, particularly my  colleagues who will consider this work psychedelic and a bon- fire. To this group, I sincerely apologise for any paranoia this piece may cause to you. It is just for the sake of millions of  people who are passing through terrible medical ordeal in those  acclaimed medical centers per excellence.

Now, having perused this publication, many questions  rattled my mind such as: This group of doctors to proffer  strategies and technical details, is it members of the Nigeria  Medical (orthodox) Association? Which strategy or technical details? Is it the strategy and technical details with which the  UPTH, BMH, LUTH, UCI etc in the country were constructed  and said to be the centers per excellence? Or  is it the details with  which His Excellency tastefully designed and equipped all over local government areas in Rivers State? Will  the college be different from the existing Medical Colleges in the State, Federal Teaching and Specialist Hospitals in the  country? The doctors to partner and provide strategies and  technical details, is it  not this group of orthodox doctors who  dominate these centers, yet cannot satisfy the health  aspirations of Nigerians? These centers where patients most times go in with a disease and come back with conditions worse than they went in? Places where various governments have been hypnotised to believe and lavish huge resources and yearly budgets to develop a particular field of medicine to the detriment of the populace?

A trip to our various Teaching and Specialist Hospitals  including some primary health centers, will convince you that  government consecutively are trying in our health-care  delivery system, even though people still complain. The present governors have continued in the same effort to  transform our health sector, into  globally acclaimed centers of excellence. This is perhaps to discourage state executives from traveling abroad for medicare.

Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi has made an indelible  history in Rivers State, through his four years frantic and  intensive reformation and transformation of both primary and  secondary healthcare systems. This he illustrated in those  fanciful, wellequipped and imposing health centers in all the LGAs in Rivers State. Yet little did His Excellency (a non-  medic) know that “healing does not depend on these multi-million -dollars mansion as hospitals and health centers, just  as the architectural masterpiece of a church does not  determine the spirituality of worshipers. No doubt, it is pleasant to receive treatment in a cozy environment. But of  what use is such exotic centers if the structural  management (Doctors) cannot satisfy the health needs of the  people? His Excellency had better understood now that proper  healing, therefore, depends largely on the doctors adequate  knowledge of medicine and diseases and wisdom from God. Big  men did not travel abroad for treatment because our centers are shabby (no).

To be cont’

Mpamugo writes from PH

A. B. C. Mpamugo