By Correspondent in Awka.
Mr.Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, has urged the federal government to significantly invest in healthcare to prevent disease outbreaks and improve life expectancy in Nigeria.
Obi made the call during the 6th Public Lecture of the Board of Fellows of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Awka, on Wednesday.
Our correspondent reports that the lecture’s theme was “Access to Quality Medicines in an Opinion Unstable Environment.”
Obi emphasized that the health of citizens should be a primary priority for the government to drive desired development.
“The most critical measure and driver of development in any country is improved life expectancy, which is linked to health. That is the number one thing, because your health is wealth. It is only when people are healthy that they can become productive,” he said.
According to Obi, Nigeria ranks 157 out of 190 countries in life expectancy, indicating a low level of access to healthcare.
“Under the Sustainable Development Goals, health is a fundamental human right, meaning that every human being must have access to healthcare, known as health equity. Unfortunately, the reverse is the case in Nigeria,” he added.
Obi criticized the rising cost of essential drugs in the country and urged the federal government to collaborate with local pharmaceutical industries to manufacture high-quality drugs.
He noted that many Nigerians resort to prayers when they fall sick, seeking spiritual cures instead of going to hospitals.
“Our government needs to increase budgetary allocation to health and invest more in healthcare. When we do that, outbreaks such as cholera will not emerge. There is a need for Nigerians to have access to medical care, especially the poor. This can be achieved by providing health insurance to all citizens.
“There should be a deliberate policy by the government to ensure local manufacturing of drugs and medicines in the country to avoid over-dependence on drug importation,” Obi urged.
Dr. Afam Obidike, Anambra State Commissioner for Health, also spoke at the event, highlighting Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration’s acquisition of 5,000 hectares of land at Ogboji in Orumba South to build a Pharmaceutical Industrial City.
According to Obidike, the idea behind the pharmaceutical industrial city is to shift from the known concept of importation and selling to manufacturing and exportation of drugs.
“It will be the biggest pharmaceutical distributors’ hub in West Africa. This shows how Governor Soludo is interested in the health of the people,” Obidike said.
Earlier in his welcome address, Dr. Joel Adagadzu, Chairman of the Board of Fellows, PSN, mentioned that recommendations from the lecture would help the PSN leadership continue the dialogue with the government on finding equitable solutions to access quality medicines for Nigeria’s teeming population.
Edited by Dawud Ahmed.
