Gloria Robert, Abuja
Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister for Well being and Social Welfare, Mohammed Ali Pate, has addressed the follow of looking for medical therapy overseas, revealing that some African leaders additionally go to Nigeria for medical care.
Pate shared his perspective throughout an look on Channels TV on Friday night, stating that the elite have a proper to decide on their vacation spot for medical companies.
“The narrative simply will get constructed that we don’t have something right here, as if we wish to lose respect for ourselves,” he remarked. “If I inform you there are different senior leaders from different African international locations coming right here for medical care, would you consider that?”
The minister argued that the nation doesn’t function below a system that restricts particular person decisions, stressing that residents are free to pursue medical tourism as they need.
“Tourism is one thing that everyone has a proper to decide on wherever they wish to go,” he acknowledged. “You can’t constrain folks; we’re not in a communist system the place you say, ‘Oh, all people must be tied.’”
Regardless of the frequent criticism of Nigeria’s healthcare system, Pate talked about the standard and professionalism inside the nation’s healthcare services.
“I believe there are services which can be properly designed, properly structured, correctly geared up,” he defined. “We’ve well being staff, professionals, medical doctors, surgeons, pharmacists, nurses working laborious to supply these companies.”
Responding to questions on whether or not the State Home clinic is adequate to satisfy the healthcare wants of Nigeria’s leaders, Pate affirmed, “I believe it’s.” He added, nevertheless, that the first focus ought to stay on addressing inequalities in healthcare entry affecting the broader Nigerian inhabitants.
Pate concluded by addressing the unfavorable narrative about Nigeria’s healthcare system, noting that whereas people might make private decisions for numerous causes, the standard of healthcare inside Nigeria is usually neglected.
“Oftentimes, folks make decisions,” he mentioned, “however different occasions, folks construct on the narratives that nothing works or nothing is nice in Nigeria.”
