FG To Reposition Health Sector To Discourage Health Tourism
Princess-Ekwi Ajide Abuja
Federal Government of Nigeria say it has concluded plans to digitise operations and roll out a national electronic medical record platform to engender reliable data for effective services to the people.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammed Ali Pate, disclosed this at a press conference in Abuja while promising that the government will mobilise private capital to develop physical infrastructure, equipment and human resources so as to restore the confidence in the health care system and discouraging Nigerians from seeking medical treatment abroad.
According to the Minister, Nigeria has over 400,000 health workers, which he says the doctor ratio to population still falls below the World Health Organisation (WHO) benchmark, hence the need to train more professionals in order to reposition the health sector for better service delivery.
Professor Pate, said as part of efforts to address strikes in the sector, management of the ministry, has met with four of the professional associations to review pressing issues and rebuild trust in the profession.
He emphasised the need to ensure that the nation’s hospitals function better to restore the confidence of the people in the health system.
The Minister of State for Health, Tunji Alausa, had earlier pointed out that the rising cases of communicable diseases call for concern and stressed the need to overhaul research centres nationwide.
Alausa canvassed for proper regulation of the health care system for accountability.
