Physician Laments High Healthcare Cost, Says Many Nigerians Unable To Pay Medical Bills

President of the Nigerian Cardiac Society, Dr. Okechukwu Ogah has lamented the high cost of accessing healthcare in the country.

He said many people who need medical attention in the country, would rather die at home instead of seeking healthcare at the hospitals because they cannot afford it.

Speaking in an interview with Punch HealthWise, Ogah urged the Federal Government to legislate on the implementation of universal health coverage.

Recall that on April 27, 2001, African governments made a historic pledge to allocate at least 15 per cent of their annual budgets to the health sector. The pledge is known as the Abuja Declaration.

However, since then, Nigeria’s budget for health has remained below five per cent.

“We are in a difficult situation because of COVID-19. Even those who need medical attention cannot go to the hospitals because the facilities are insufficient and the manpower is draining away.

“To buy things in this country is difficult because we can’t buy consumables. So, the people in the communities may not be able to afford it.

“We are urging the government to legislate universal health coverage and fund it and people can contribute to the health insurance to run the health system.

“Health is expensive even for the rich, so what do you think of the messenger?

“Health is becoming expensive and people are running from the hospital and they will choose to rather die at home instead of coming to the hospital,” he said.

The NCS President stressed that the government needs to find ways to address the challenge of the high healthcare cost in the country.

“We want the government to look into the cost of healthcare which is increasing every day. We want them to look into the crisis in the healthcare sector which is becoming very rampant to the extent that we can’t work consistently for one year without disruptions.

“They should also look at the healthcare human resources going to other countries that didn’t train them.

“They are leaving because they don’t have job satisfaction and they want to live a better life not only for themselves but also for their children,” he said.