Emeka Okolo, a private medical doctor in Nigeria, says health workers will continue to bicker with the government until the fundamental issues of the health sector in the country are fixed.
Okolo said Nigeria’s health sector was built to fail, adding that until the government took the sector seriously, the country won’t make progress.
He said this while speaking with SaharaReporters on the recent strike action embarked by the National Association of Resident Doctors in the country.
The strike action was suspended after an intervention by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.
He said, “The way the sector is, patients can never get the best from the system. Nigeria’s health system is very chaotic – for professionals who give their best and just want to make an impact, and for patients who should not be made to go through the unnecessary rigours of seeking health services.
“Sadly, government hospitals appear to be more chaotic than private establishments.
“The system operates sub-optimally in more than one was and it becomes so glaring even for non-healthcare professionals.”
While calling on the government to take the sector more seriously, Okolo stated that there was no end in sight to the frequent strike action by health workers.
He added, “It is evident that for years to come that health worker groups would continue to clash with the government because of poor remuneration, poor work environment, and centralising of hospital operations.
“Junior doctors and/or health workers work hard with nothing to show for it – no health insurance, no life insurance, nothing tangible to fall back to if it is needed.
“One common denominator for many doctors, who work outside residency training, is the absence of job satisfaction. I guess it is a reflection of what Nigeria looks like.
“There is only one way this cycle can be stopped, a total overhaul and a gradual but progressive change in the modus operandi of the sector.”
