Sir: For years now, the Nigerian hospital has been rated among the worst across the globe. According to a study carried out by Lancet, Nigerian hospitals are ranked 142 among 195 countries, and the worst part is that this cankerworm is eating deep and negatively affecting the well-being of an average Nigerian.
Currently, the country cannot boast of many standard operational hospitals for the betterment of its citizens. And this is due to lack of funding. The standard hospitals are only affordable by the caliber of rich Nigerians, making the underprivileged Nigerians vulnerable to illness and possibly, death. Everyday, underprivileged Nigerians suffer the consequences of substandard hospitals left unattended. Poverty-stricken families lose their children, poor men suffer the death of their pregnant wives, and people watch their relatives die because of the lack of health care materials in their community hospitals.
For instance, in the Yewa zone of Ogun State, sick people travel a long distance from their village to the town to see a medical practitioner and access health facilities. This is because of the poor state of their hospitals and inadequate medical facilities in their community hospital. This is what an average Yewa indigene goes through every time they need medical attention.
Another case study is the poor condition of a community hospital in Alabata village of Ogun State. Access to a standard hospital is almost impossible for the people in this community. They rely on traditional treatment and self-medication to cater to their health issues. The state of their community hospital is nothing to write home about.
There’s a popular saying that health is wealth. Yes, we’ve heard it a million times, and the bottom line is that the absence of good health care facilities in Nigeria would cause an increasing number of poor nationals.
Are we going to sit and watch our beloved country, the giant of Africa, wallow in poverty?
This is a call to Nigerian leaders to wake from their slumber and prioritise their health care sector. You bet we would have a stagnant labour market if we keep losing able-bodied men and women to illness and diseases. If this trend should continue, a balanced labour force is unsure. Every Nigeria has the right to a good health care facility, regardless of his status quo.
Oreoluwa Lawal is a content writer and a member of the Red Cross Society.
