Last year, the President and Commander in Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Umaru Yar'Adua had on assumption of office set a target for his administration by identifying seven key priority areas in the task of the transformation of our country into an industrialised and a world class economy. These seven priority areas are: power and energy, food security and agriculture, wealth creation and employment, mass transportation, land reform and security, qualitative and functional education. He listed these seven good points minus good health.

It is said that health is wealth. All the afore mentioned priority areas of this administration are geared towards wealth creation and economy revelance. But it is also very true that he who neglects his health in the pursuance of wealth might get wealth eventually but may not be alive to eat from it. It is also very true that there are many Nigerian doctors abroad owing to the deteriorated state of our health sector. If it is true that health is wealth, these doctors abroad means wealth abroad. Our focus has been on getting wealth which we end up losing to the failing health sector.

Since the priorities of this administration did not include health, it means that the end is not in sight for our public office holders' trips abroad for medical checks. You cannot hear that a public office holder in the organized economies goes outside the shores of his country for treatment. But millions of dollars, pounds and euros are wasted by our public office holders on medical trips abroad. The servant leader is not exempted from this practice. Even before he assumed office as the head of state, he had been part of this practice. It remains to be seen if he can ask others to stop the practice he is also involved in.

It is very obvious that they may have preferred spending the wealth targeted by 2020 for burial ceremonies, obituary adverts and parties. People from this part of the world prefer 'Befitting Burial' to good health management and care. So it may not be a mistake that this administration's priorities do not include good health care. Even individual or corporate firms are not left out in this neglect. Organisations here all focus on the profit that they can make but pay little or no attention to the health care of their employees. Many have been paralysed, some have lost limps, some severely wounded and some have died in the course of performing their duties but little or no attention was given. It has almost become a norm.

The servant leader said he had declared state of emergency on energy and we are waiting to see the outcome. But he should also consider declaring that state of emergency on the health sector. If there were good hospitals and personnel 'good enough' to be called 'good', he would not had been flown to Germany while he was rounding up his campaign before the elections in 2007 or to Saudi Arabia not too long ago. He needs to do something serious in this direction if we are to take all his words very seriously.

The servant leader supports the removal of the immunity clause on serving executives; He should support the stopping of medical checks abroad by public office holders also. Our health sector needs urgent attention in order to save the nation the huge resources taken to other lands in the name of medical checkups or treatment. If the spate of medical trips abroad is not checked, these men and women in the corridors of power would not look seriously into the state of our health institutions. They all claim they have their peoples mandate and represent the people. But the people they claim that they do represent cannot afford basic health care services not to talk of medical trips abroad. Something needs to be done about our health sector urgently, so that by 2020 if we get the targeted wealth, we would not lose it to failing health. A stitch in time does not only save nine but 2020. Nigeria can be great again. Yes, we can! Good health care is possible!


ARINZE ALINNOR A.

P. O. BOX 17985, IKEJA - LAGOS.

08033001782, 01-8964893

arinze198@gmail.com

www.arinze198.wordpress.com