A testimony on how Nigerian top public office holders have socially and economically distanced themselves from the governed even before the out break of coronavirus emerged yesterday from the horse’s mouth when Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the government of Nigeria and chief custodian of all government information and regulations, disclosed that he never knew that the Nigerian health system was in such a sorrow state until the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic which necessitated his appointment as the chairman of the Presidential Taskforce (PTF) on COVID-19,
He made this known during a meeting with the leadership of the national assembly on Thursday.“I can tell you for sure, I never knew that our entire healthcare infrastructure was in the state in which it is. Until I was appointed to do this work,” he said. While he noted that the pandemic has provided the opportunity to examine the state of the national health care systems which is in dire need of reforms and funding, he said the weaknesses in Nigeria’s health systems became more glaring given the way more established health systems in Europe and America collapsed under pressure. He, however, assured that there are plans to lay a legacy foundation for the immediate, medium and long-term development of the health system in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic across the country. To this end, he said, the taskforce has proposed to utilise the resources being mobilised in a “strategic manner.” This includes:Direct development and delivery of critical infrastructure to states by donors; direct procurement and delivery of personal protective equipment and other critical equipment by donors; deployment of rapid response teams to states for capacity building and support; and expansion of the testing capacity in the country.
Nigeria currently losses more than $1 billion annually to medical tourism as tens of thousands of Nigerians travel abroad in search of the best treatment.
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