Nurses under the University Graduates of Nursing Science Association (UGONSA), have implored Nigerians to vote out politicians who have penchants for embarking on medical tourism abroad.
The nurses, who gave the suggestion ahead of the 2023 general elections in the country,expressed that it was sad that Nigeria loses about $2 billion every year to medical tourism.
They noted that the amount if put together for five years, and deployed for the upgrade of Nigeria health facilities, health research capabilities, and healthcare infrastructures, would launch the country’s health system to among the best five in the world.
“Politicians who seek treatment abroad are directly telling other Nigerians that it is their own lives alone that matter and that the rest of us are sub-humans that deserve to be treated in the “mere consulting clinics” they have egregiously reduced our hospitals to”, the association said,adding that it was high time medical tourism became a topic for the acceptance or rejection of politicians at the polls in Nigeria.
The association stated these in a communique issued to Journalists at its Conference in Abakaliki on Thursday, which was signed by
the National President, Chief (Hon.) Solomon E.O. Egwuenu, and the National Secretary, Nurse Goodluck .I. Nshi.
It expressed worry that “rather than pay premium on fixing our health system, alas!, our politicians are shamelessly busy competing on whom to win the ignoble title of “Medical Tourist 1 of Nigeria”.
“Our hospitals are in shamble because our politicians and their families are not treated in our hospitals. Our hospitals will be fixed to be in the world-class ranking any day our political class starts getting treatment from our hospitals”, it added.
The association disclosed that the callousness and insensitivity of politicians to the Nigeria’s health system had forced seasoned healthcare professionals, especially Doctors and Nurses, “to seek shelter in the responsive health system of other countries with responsible leaders where their skills, professional development, and remuneration are enhanced.”
“Ironically, our politicians are treated abroad by these same seasoned Nigerian healthcare professionals that left our health system for abroad out of sheer frustration.
“The poor performance of our health system in global ranking has never been the fault of our healthcare professionals. It is a systematic fault of not putting the right facilities and motivation in place by the country’s successive leadership to enable our healthcare professionals to replicate the type of wonders they have been performing when they travel abroad in our own health system.
“The monies wasted on medical tourism are enough to rejig our health system and make a competing payment to the healthcare professionals that will dissuade those currently practicing in the country from contemplating going abroad and compel those that have left for greener pasture to return home.
“It is an affront to our collective sensibility to see our politicians abandon our hospitals that they have run aground through age-long fund deprivation and neglect for the treatment of helpless Nigerians that elected them while they themselves jet out abroad at the slight of a headache to be treated in well organized, well-furnished, and well-funded hospitals with taxpayers’ monies. Such is abominable and unacceptable and must not be allowed to continue.We, therefore, charge Nigerians to get their permanent voter’s cards (PVC), prepare to vote out, and never vote for any politician who has a penchant for embarking on medical tourism abroad.
“Politicians whose pastime is medical tourism have testified that they do not believe in the Nigerian system. If our health system is not good for you, our political system should also not be good for you”, the association added.
