‘Improve Healthcare Facilities To Prevent Medical Expedition’

Dr Biodun Ogungbo, a neurosurgeon in Abuja, recently observed that Nigerians spent an estimated one billion dollars on foreign medical treatment in various countries in 2014.
He noted that such amount of money ought not to have been lost to medical trips and treatments abroad if Nigeria’s healthcare system was adequate.
“The reason for such huge sum spent on medical tourism is attributed to low quality of the country’s medical services mainly driven by the public hospitals,’’ he observed.
Medical experts also observed that instability the in governance since the country’s independence has resulted in poor management and decay in health sector.
According to them, the decay in the sector has also led to mass movement of Nigerian medical graduates to foreign countries in search of better earnings and experience.
These views notwithstanding, Ogungbo noted that what drove Nigerians abroad for medical attention was tertiary healthcare.
“Sub-specialties such as orthopaedics, cardiovascular, renal, assisted reproduction, oncology and neurosurgery, top the list of reasons why people seek treatment abroad.’’
“But spine surgeries, neurosurgeries, knee replacement surgeries, hip replacement surgeries, renal transplant, open heart surgeries, minimal access surgeries and surgeries for complex fracture management, among others, have become routine in many private and world class hospitals in Abuja.
“Hospitals in Abuja have recently carried out kidney transplantations, heart operations and numerous deliveries of babies via the test tube.
“These operations were performed safely and at much reduced cost than travelling abroad; this process of offering treatment locally will save Nigeria billions of naira,’’ he said.
In the same vein, Prof. Opunbo da Lily-Tariah, a specialist in ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) at University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, observed that the country could handle various health developments.
The specialist said that the high level of awareness and communication had contributed to the management and control of many diseases.
“Sickle cell is something we have made progress on, survival is much higher, we understood the disease better and superstitions have given way to more logical thinking and management.
“No one can take away the achievements Nigeria has recorded in the primary and secondary healthcare segment of the nation’s health system over the last several decades.
“Under-five year mortality rate has reduced, HIV and AIDS have been tamed while Nigeria has exited the countries which are still harbouring the wild polio virus,’’ he said.
Similarly, Dr Otabor Christopher, an Orthopaedic surgeon with Alliance Hospital, Abuja, explained that in the last few years, the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, had become a suitable place for both foreign and locally trained specialised healthcare professionals, who were largely seen in selected private hospitals.
Christopher observed that in the last five years, one could hardly think of any health condition that genuinely required foreign referrals either due to lack of skilled manpower or cutting edge medical equipment.
Corroborating these opinions, Mrs Cecilia Obuzo, who recently underwent goitre operation at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, said the level of medical advancement in the country was commendable.
“My children told me that I would not die because Nigerian doctors are very competent to conduct the surgery successfully,’’ she said.
For efficient healthcare, da Lily-Tariah said researches were still on in teaching hospitals, especially in the area of fine-tuning drug composition and administration.
“There are researches to see how local remedies and plant extracts could be inculcated into the mainstream medicine.
“These are going on in all the major laboratories and schools of pharmacological sciences; of course, in terms of disease pattern, researches are going on interestingly,’’ he disclosed.
This notwithstanding, da Lily-Tariah said Nigeria had not finally attained the desired level in healthcare system.
He stated that developing technology in healthcare sector would make the country not to depend on other countries for medical treatment equipment.
He also cautioned against indulging in technology transfer as it would be very expensive and the country might not have the fund to invest in such.
The don also identified poor service delivery as another factor impeding the nation from getting to the desired height of healthcare delivery system.
He called on appropriate authority to solve the challenges facing healthcare service delivery “to deliver in time and in the manner which will be satisfactory to all.
“If we have universal insurance in this country, access to health facility will be much easier for everybody.’’
By and large, da Lily-Tariah and other medical experts observe that with President Muhammadu Buhari’s emphasis on providing facilities in key sectors, health sector will receive the required attention and funds to make healthcare service delivery effective and prevent unnecessary medical trips.
Jane writes for News Agency of Nigerian (NAN)