Expert Advocates for Ban of Medical Tourism for Govt. Officials

A Consultant Surgeon at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Professor Kunle Olawepo, has advocated the need for the National Assembly to ban medical tourism for top government officials.

This he said would enable political office holders, starting from the President to have first hand information and knowledge about the deplorable conditions of the country’s health sector.

Professor Olawepo, who is the President, Nigerian Orthopaedic Association, stated this while reacting to the strike embarked upon by resident doctors that the state of healthcare delivery in the country is deplorable because Government is abandoning its responsibilities in the sector.

According to him, the President just returned from the United Kingdom on Medical check-up, saying that he has never heard where the Prime Minister of UK or President of United States going abroad or other country for check up.

When asked of the factors responsible for incessant strikes in the health sector, the medical expert attributed them to a long harrowing process of complaints, lamentations and frustration occasioned by excessive workload on Doctors, unfriendly working environment, non-availability of optimal appropriate work tools and inadequate remuneration.

He said “If top Government functionaries attend public health facilities in the Country, then they will see 1st hand the true state of affairs and can therefore agree to an overhaul”

“Inconsistent Government policies and audacious draconian circulars together with lack of Commitment to honour agreement freely entered into by Government are factors responsible for what has turned out to be incessant Strikes by Resident and other groups of Doctors“, Olawepo further stated .

The Consultant Surgeon and a former Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association in Kwara State, therefore stressed the need for government to go back to the original drawing board where Doctor-patient ratio is respected, with adequate budgeting for health sector and adherence to W.H.O recommendations or African charter agreement.

Professor Olawepo noted that though strike is not right for Doctors or any other health worker, but government should not wait until they embark on strike before attending to their demands, pointing out that issues must be resolved from the foundation.

He said” Health is an essential service just like Military and Police; therefore the federal government must wake up to responsibility and treat the cause and not the effect. Once the foundation is right, every other thing naturally falls in place! Even the Military and Police and even in the so called developed Countries go on strike. Criminalizing strikes will not put an end to it. Do the right thing and everything falls in line“.