Senate laments Nigeria’s poor health outcomes

The Senate Committee on Health, Secondary and Tertiary Health Institutions, has decried Nigeria’s poor health outcomes, particularly high child mortality rates, infant mortality rates, maternal mortality rates and even life expectancy.

The Health Committee members also pledged to investigate bottlenecks hindering the National Postgraduate College from training more doctors to increase the number of qualified medical professionals in the country.

Speaking to journalists in Lagos while on an oversight visit to the Federal Medical Centre, (FMC) Ebute Metta, National Postgraduate Medical College, Ijaniki and the Institute of Forensic Lab Oshodi, the Chairman, of Senate Committee, on Health, Senator Ipalibo Banigo said the visit was an opportunity to have very useful discussions on improving the health sector and service delivery to Nigerians.

Banigo who commended the commitment of the workers, regretted that the country was grappling with very poor health indices.

Banigo, who outlined the committee’s goals for their visit to Lagos health facilities added that their primary focus is to understand the challenges faced by healthcare providers and identify ways to support them.

“We want to hear from the staff and see firsthand what they need,” Senator Banigo explained.

“Our goal is to find solutions that will empower them to continue providing excellent care to our communities.”

The committee will also be examining how healthcare institutions are utilizing their budgets.

Senator Banigo commended the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Ebute Metta for efficiently using its 2022-23 budget, resulting in a significant expansion of services and infrastructure.

Further, the committee also identified areas for improvement.  Banigo expressed concern about the limited capacity of the National Postgraduate Medical College, which only trains around 8,500 residents annually.

“This is simply not enough. We need to significantly increase the number of doctors trained across the country,” She stated.

She said they will be investigating potential solutions, including increased funding for training programs. Additionally, they will delve into the funding structure of the Institute of Forensic Sciences and Laboratory.

Banigo highlighted concerns about their current setup and its impact on their effectiveness.

The committee’s overall objective is to ensure that healthcare institutions receive the resources they need to function efficiently and deliver high-quality care to Nigerians.

Speaking, the Medical Director, Federal Medical Centre, Ebutte Metta, Lagos, Dr Dada Adedamola appealed to the National Assembly to give the hospital a special grant that would be used to expand facilities to enable them to cater for the overwhelming number of Nigerians who prefer their hospitals for their health care needs.

Represented by the Head of Clinical Services, Dr Saheed Ogume said though they were rated high there was a need for them to do more, hence, the need for more funding.

“Our hospital, because of our peculiar circumstances, is landlocked, we have purchased a piece of landed property not too far from where we are. We need support to do more.”

The Registrar of the National Postgraduate College, Professor Fatiu Arogundade, who addressed the issue of limited training capacity, explained that while the disbursed funds can only support around 8,500 residents annually, it doesn’t capture the entire picture.

“There are closer to 11,000 to 12,000 residents training across the country. However, many of them are in mission hospitals and state hospitals, which aren’t currently included in our funding.”

He emphasised that the bigger challenge lies in retaining these doctors. “The number of trainees itself isn’t necessarily the main issue,” he explained. “Unfortunately, a significant portion of them leave Nigeria after completing their training.”

By Chioma Obinna

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2024/05/senate-laments-nigerias-poor-health-outcomes/#:~:text=The%20Senate%20Committee%20on%20Health,rates%20and%20even%20life%20expectancy.