Ban govt officials from seeking healthcare abroad, resident doctors tell NASS

THE leadership of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, has said those in power will not take the challenges in the country’s health sector seriously until laws are enacted to stop them from seeking healthcare overseas.

NARD, therefore, urged the National Assembly to enact laws that will restrict government officials from medical tourism abroad.

President of the association, Dr Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, stated this yesterday while speaking on Punch Live interview programme.

He said until the legislature makes the law, the much-desired improvement in the health sector in Nigeria will remain a pipe dream.

Reacting to why the government has not been taking the challenges of Nigeria’s health sector seriously, the NARD president said it is “…because they have the money to fly abroad.

“Let me be blunt, our number one person just flew abroad to do medical check-up, going in search of best global practices.

“If you check the amount of money that we put into medical tourism, and put such money down in our hospitals here, you don’t need to travel.

“In most of the hospitals we have now, you barely can have good medical care because the basic necessities are more like luxuries and they are not available in the hospitals. So, why won’t they travel out? That is the question we must ask the government.

“If an embargo is placed on them from seeking healthcare outside, it will help in making the hospital services work inside. Until when that is done, we are going to achieve nothing. That was why during the Covid-19 pandemic last year, most of them who did not travel were able to go back into the health sector.

“I wish there can be laws making government officials stay in Nigeria and seek healthcare here. Until that is done, we won’t have improvement.”

Resident doctors all over the country started what they described as “total and indefinite” strike yesterday morning despite the Federal Government’s last-minute efforts to stop the action.

Amongst other things, the doctors want their four-month salaries paid, as well as other allowances and demands met.

The strike is happening at a time President Buhari is in London for what his media aide described as “routine medical checkup”.