Thomas Abi Jr|8 October 2015|3:03am
*Preamble
A few days ago I read on one of the national dailies that the only cancer machine at the National Hospital, Abuja had packed up. Then I began to think, I said to myself, "how are the patients with cancer going to survive the unavailability of the machine to treat them?" The truth is we are not there yet! Cross River State as a tourism destination has to speedily develop her health sector in order to meet with the problems of the Nigerian people.
*Challenge of our Health Policy
It is important to state that one of the key elements of public policy is the promotion of good health for her people. In developed countries of the world, the health system is given adequate attention but in Nigeria and Cross River State our health system is downsized. The budgetary allocation are sometimes very low. And even when provided the needed facilities, corrupt government officials siphon the monies meant for such equipment.
*Medical Tourism
Reports from the Medical Association of Nigeria has it that over 5000 Nigerians travel to other nations for medical Health Care and the country loses over a 130 billion naira to foreign trips as a result of medical tourism.
*Concession of General Hospitals
Today in Nigeria and in Cross River State, proper Health Care can now be seen as a property for the rich in the society while the ordinary man dies in his sick condition. The government hospitals are not even affordable in the State, the private hospitals are a no go area for the common man. It can be recalled that the general hospitals in the State were concessioned to private individuals. What a callous way to reward electorate who voted for you out of their believe and trust in you. Concessioning government hospitals to private individuals is suicidal. It is barbaric and despicable.
The health sector in Cross River State needs quick reforms, policy should be formulated that will changed the health system. One very question I ask my self all the time is, what if Ebola had hit Cross River State? You go to hospitals and you see patients that should be treated in Intensive Care Unit(ICU), receiving treatment by the corridors or doorsteps because there are no beds for them. Aside the poor infrastructure in our hospitals, what has become a culture is the constant industrial action by our health workers as a result of government not meeting their demands. And the quick response to government most times is sack and suspension even when there is the shortage of medical personnel.
*Health: Luxury or Right?
The government of Cross River State must understand that the access to health care is not a luxury but a right to every citizen in the State. The government must as a matter of urgency rehabilitate and equip all existing general hospitals, provide primary health centers and fully equip them, train nurses and doctors on new health skills and facilities.
*Public Policy
There is the need for Stakeholders in the State and relevant bodies to come together to implement reforms that will change the health system in the State. The health system in the State need to be repositioned to meet global best practices.
*Manpower
The government of Cross River State should as a matter of urgency, expand and upgrade all existing health facilities in the State. Encourage human capital development. The unavailability of trained nurses and doctors has resulted to the loss of many lives in the State. The government must as a matter of urgency, train doctors and nurses in the State. It is a known fact that most patients who die in our hospitals die as a result of carelessness on the part of our medical personnel in the State. And so the government must train doctors and nurses sent to our hospitals in order to safe the Cross River People from quacks and half baked medical personnel.
*Funding
The Cross River State government has the responsibility of adequately funding the health facilities in the State. It is very pertinent to know that Cross River State lacks equipments to treat terminal diseases. By so doing most cases involving terminal diseases are transfered to Abuja and Lagos and even referred overseas. The government must look into the plight of the common man who does not have resources to leave the rural communities to the urban centers for check up. The peasant farmer and the poor man in our communities have to be provided for. Health Care is not a luxury but a right to every individual existing.
*Digitalised Patients' Database
The government of Cross River State has to develop a holistic data base that will have a correct statistics of patients in our hospitals. These will aid the government in planning and effective service delivery. It is unfortunate that going round the hospitals in Cross River State, hospitals cards are still sorted manually. Most times the cards containing the patients medical history get missing, causing a huge problem for the patient, because the doctor can not get to understand what the patient has been undergoing treatment for.
*Special Health Care Programmes
There is the need to implement special health care programs in our hospitals in the State. The rural people are caught off most times when special intervention such as immunization, distribution of mosquito nets, HIV/AIDS vaccines and many more. It is worthy to mention that many health schemes do not record adequate success because of lack of stakeholders. There is the need for stakeholders to play a major role in the implementation of health schemes, especially when it involves remote communities in the State. Stakeholders participation is very important in achieving high level success.
*Donor Agencies & PPP
The road map to achieving a better health care system in Cross River State requires participation by international support agencies and private sector investment. There is a need to provide an enabling environment for investors to operate. Investors require an environment where they can invest their money. They require good road network, accessibility to power supply and good communication if they must invest in our health sector.
*Conclusion
The government of Cross River State, must speedily reposition the health sector in order to meet the yearning and aspiration of the Cross River People and Nigeria at large.
Prince Thomas Abi Jr.
Is a Public Affairs Analysts/Social Commentator
