By Ovat Abeng
Following the recent cholera outbreak that have claimed many lives in Lagos and other part of the Nigeria, the former Labour Party Presidential Candidate in the 2023 general elections Mr. Peter Obi has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to deployed more financial resources to health sector to curb further disease outbreaks in the country.
He alleged that the cause of the outbreak was as a result of lack of investment in the health sector by the present administration.
Obi made the called at the 6th Public Lecture of the Board of Fellows, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (BOF-PSN) held at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka on Wednesday.
According to him, Nigeria should not be talking about outbreaks now, we have build vaccination facility in this country in 1948, almost 20-years before Cyrus that is now the biggest vaccines producer in the World, yet because of the bad leadership, corruption and people not be committed to good leadership are busy frustrating the facility not to function.
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“Nigerians today, rather resort to prayers whenever they fall sick to secure spiritual cure than going to a hospital.
He stated that 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 drugs and collection of revenues from the importers.
Obi who was the keynote speaker on the lecture topic: “Access to Quality Medicine in An Unstable Environment”, stressed that catering for the health of the citizens is one major priority of any government, but, lamented that do to leadership incompetence in the country the issue of health in the country has not being given attention it deserved.
He noted 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 one 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.
He cited that augmentin 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 who give priority to equipping health clinic at Governors’ clinics, Presidency and National Assembly who those they are meant to take care yet abandon for Overseas hospitals while those for the citizens are neglected.
“We need to dismantle the type of leadership we have in the country, and, everyone show commitment to install a government that will provide good governance, otherwise, we can’t move forward.
He also lamented that Nigeria is a signatory to SDG, but since after COVID pandemic, the country has not been able to establish any laboratory to conduct tests for diseases.
Also speaking, Dr Afam Obidike, Anambra state Commissioner for Health said Gov. Chukwuma Soludo’s administration acquired 5000 hectres of land at Ogboji in Orumba South to build Pharmaceutical Industrial City.
According to Obidike, the idea of the pharmaceutical industrial city is to change the known concept of importation and selling to manufacturing and exportation of drugs.
“It will be the biggest pharmaceutical distributors’ hub in West Africa,” he said.
Earlier in his address, Dr Joel Adagadzu, Chairman, Board of Fellows, PSN, said the recommendations from the lecture would help the leadership of PSN to continue the dialogue with government on finding equitable solutions to access to quality medicines for the teeming population.
The event was also grace by the Unizik Vice Chancellor, Prof Joseph Ikechebelu, Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, CEO of PAXS Pharmaceuticals Limited, Uche Akpakama, Unizik Pharmaceutical Students, among others.