By Dele Ogunyemi, Ibadan
Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday in Ibadan raised an alarm over the current state of tertiary healthcare institutions in Nigeria just as he attributed the negative development to “poor funding challenges, ageing infrastructures and recurrent strike actions of the health workers.”
Chief Obasanjo who presided over the activities marking the grand finale of the 60th anniversary of the University College Hospital, Ibadan noted with concern the steady trend of the incidence of cancer related deaths and deaths emanating from Non Communicable Diseases and charged the UCH management to “come up with a robust plan that will see the institution transcend mediocrity and attain a more enviable position in the world rankings.”
Speaking through Dr. Femi Majekodunmi, the former President declared: “At 60, the University College Hospital, Ibadan has truly led the other health care institutions in top class health care deliver, real cutting edge research and I know that it is the preferred choice for training by every professional group in the health sector.”
Also addressing the gathering that comprises the crème de la crème of the society, Vice President Yemi Osibajo re-newed the hope of Nigerians in the national healthcare sector saying that the Federal Government is embarking on comprehensive re-tooling of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) adding that eight teaching hospitals in the country including the UCH are being rejuvenated under the 2018 fiscal budget.
While tasking the tertiary healthcare institutions in Nigeria to rise up to the challenges of technology, the Vice President also enjoined the entire citizenry to join force with the authorities under its Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiatives since, according to him, government alone cannot solely fund effective healthcare in a situation where about N1.3trillion making 30 per cent of the Budget is going to the infrastructure.
Delivering the anniversary lecture earlier, 94-year-old Emeritus Professor Theophilus Ogunlesi, the first Nigerian medical doctor and Professor of Medicine, opined that the health challenges that compelled President Muhammadu Buhari to seek medical treatment in the United Kingdom hospital was not beyond the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan which, he said, possessed all the required human resources but only suffers underfunding.
Professor Ogunlesi then came up with three recommendations as feasible solutions to the challenges facing tertiary healthcare institutions in Nigeria as he called on the government to, as a matter of policy, stop underfunding the institutions; that government should provide effective comprehensive community healthcare system all over the country; and that the government should make special provision for the poor, the aged, disabled and the children.
Highlight of the ceremony was the commissioning of the multi-million naira Sir Kessington Adebutu Geriatric Rehabilitation Centre built and donated to the UCH by the renowned philanthropist as well as the turning of the sod of the UCH Cancer Centre being initiated by some unnamed philanthropists.