The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) says Nigeria loses $7 billion every year because many people travel abroad for medical treatment. This happens because people don’t trust the healthcare system in the country.
Dr. Benjamin Olowojebutu, the Vice President of NMA, said this during an interview on Arise News. He made the statement a few days after former President Muhammadu Buhari passed away in a clinic in London.
He explained that many doctors are also leaving Nigeria to work in other countries where the working conditions are better.
This has led to a serious problem: there is only one doctor for every 10,000 people in Nigeria. The World Health Organization recommends one doctor for every 600 people.
Dr. Olowojebutu criticized Nigerian politicians for asking citizens to be patriotic while they themselves do not act in the country’s best interest. He said, “You can’t ask people to love their country when leaders are not showing the same love.”
He added that the situation keeps getting worse. Many leaders neglect the country’s healthcare and spend public money to treat themselves abroad.
He described this as wrong. He said that Nigeria loses $7 billion each year because people do not trust local hospitals.
He blamed the government for failing to improve the health sector. He pointed out that there is a huge shortage of doctors and not enough support for the health system. He said leaders often tell citizens to put Nigeria first, but they themselves don’t do the same.
Dr. Olowojebutu said that good healthcare should be a basic right for everyone, but in Nigeria, only the rich who can travel abroad quickly get access to quality care.
He also criticized the way health policies are made, saying they are often copied from other countries and do not fit Nigeria’s needs. Many people do not even understand these policies.
He expressed sadness that former President Buhari died in a clinic outside the country.He asked, “How many presidents from other countries go abroad to die?” suggesting that other nations trust and use their own healthcare systems.
