Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State, has said that ending foreign medical tourism and incessant strike in Nigeria’s healthcare sector, is not rocket science.
Wike said providing the right infrastructure, improving the welfare of medical practitioners, and providing quality training opportunities for professionals, like his administration is doing in Rivers State are a simple but visionary approaches to solving the age-long challenge.
He stated this on Saturday, October 2, 2021, while inspecting the level of work at different medical project sites in Rivers State, including the N25billion cancer and cardiovascular disease diagnostic and treatment centre, and the basic clinic science complex.
Also inspected were the renal centre and the pathology department building of the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, which Wike said must be completed and handed over by May next year, in a bid to meet his target of setting the pace of making Rivers State the medical hub of the country.
Speaking further on the process of ending foreign medical tourism, Governor Wike was of the opinion that Nigeria has all it takes to replicate all that is made available to those who travel out of the country to get treated.
“We have our doctors; all you need is training, there is nothing they cannot do.
“If you give our people the required environment, give them the facilities and the tools to work, there will be no need for us to travel overseas,” the governor told newsmen.
He further stressed that it is the duty of the government to secure the people’s lives not just by using security forces, but also by ensuring that the healthcare system meets the best of standards.
Wike’s comment on the health sector comes a day after the governor said there is nothing much to celebrate about Nigeria’s independence after 61 years, except for the fact that the country has remained self-governed within the period.
Speaking at an event marking this year’s Independence Day at the Alfred Diette-Spiff Civic Centre in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Wike called on Nigerians to make efforts to produce better leaders in coming elections.
“Today we have gathered to celebrate the 61st independence anniversary of our beloved nation, Nigeria. For 61 years, we have existed and lived together as one independent nation with our destiny in our hands,” Governor Wike stated.
“But at 61, it does not seem to me that there is anything worthy of our celebration except, perhaps, the fact that we have remained independent and managed to struggle with our existence for all these years.”
He lamented that the country, which was charted by patriotic and visionary leaders to be the greatest black nation with quality human and capital assets, has rather derailed in that vision due to bad leadership, especially in the past six years of the All Progressive Congress-led Federal Government.
According to the governor, the hope of Nigerians for the political leadership to harness the country’s resources to drive economic growth, promote national unity, and protect lives and property is now a mirage, as the Federal Government has weakened the governance structure of the country and its institutions.
