Federal Government to reduce medical trips - Minister

Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu

Determined to reduce foreign exchanges and foreign medical expenses, President Jonathan has taken steps to curb the abuse of such medical trips by the political office holders.

 

The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, in Benin, Edo State, said President Jonathan had directed the minister to authorise such trips, henceforth.

 

Expressing concern over the increasing number of Nigerians detained in Indian hospitals and those of other countries on account of their inability to pay their medical bills, the minister said his office was being bombarded daily with letters of assistance.

 

According to Prof. Chukwu, Nigerians including political and government officials spends more than N78bn to seek medical treatment in other countries.  The Minister said Government would no longer condone unwarranted and needless medical trips to foreign countries by the political office holders and government official.

 

Nigeria is the only country in the word that spend such a big amount in foreign hospital. And the reason is that the government have over the year neglected the health sector. The sector is plagued by obsolete or non existing medial facilities, inadequate medical personnel and decaying infrastructure.

 

What government needs to do is to focus on the health sector and model it against the ones in other countries.