Adewole Decries Shortage of Doctors in General Hospitals
The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole has decried the shortage of Medical Doctors and other health officials in the Primary healthcare centers as well as General Hospitals across the country.
The Minister made this known on Thursday, 22nd November, 2018 in Abuja while meeting with the new National Executive Committee members of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) led by the President, Pharm. Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa.
Adewole said that most of the health challenges were surmountable if Primary Healthcare centers and General Hospitals were performing optimally.” It is only critical health conditions that should be referred to Federal Teaching Hospitals or Federal Medical Centres, but in Nigeria, most of the health challenges are expected to be addressed by the Federal Government”.
“When there is sickness in any part of the country they will say it is the duty of Federal Ministry of Health to handle forgetting that there is Commissioners of Health in that State”.
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“Health is in the concurrent list of the Nigerian constitution. Thus, it is not an exclusive responsibility of the Federal Government and until all of us work together we would not go far”.
The Minister urged the State Governors to give health a priority place in their Development agenda, adding that Federal Government would support where states and local governments could not handle.
Speaking on dearth of manpower in the hospitals, the Minister said most of the General hospitals either lacked Medical doctors or they were inadequate. The number of Doctors in one Teaching Hospital or Federal Medical Center of a particular State outnumbered the total number of doctors in the entire state.
Prof. Adewole therefore called on the State Governors to employ more doctors and post them to the General hospitals. He also called on the Private Sector to establish more health facilities to fill in the gap..
“There is need for us to work together, there is also the need to encourage private sector to fill in the gaps” Adewole stressed.
Earlier in his remarks, the President, PSN Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa said that the rationale behind their visit was to expressed their determination to work with the Hon Minister of Health to improve the health system in Nigeria.
“My main mission as PSN President is to support you to deal with some of the health challenges so as to improve Nigeria’s healthcare status.”
