FG to curb medical trips – Minister

Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu
| credits: File copy

Worried by capital flight from Nigeria as a result of political office holders’ penchant for medical treatment in foreign countries, President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered more stringent approvals for such medical trips.

Making the disclosure in Benin, Edo State, on Saturday, Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, said President Jonathan had directed the minister to authorise such trips, henceforth.

Expressing concern over the increasing number of Nigerians detained in Indian hospitals and those of other countries on account of their inability to pay their medical bills, the minister said his office was being bombarded daily with letters of assistance.

Reports say that over N78bn is lost annually to capital flight by Nigerians, including public officials seeking medical treatment abroad.

The minister, who was in Edo for the burial of the father of the President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, and to inaugurate some projects at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, urged Nigerians to take advantage of the National Health Insurance policy of the Federal Government for their health needs.

Speaking on government plans to curb medical trips by officials, the minister said, “We have people who go abroad and they are in two classes: One, people who are spending private money, whether well-earned or not too well-earned.

“Some are people who are sponsored by other persons, including religious bodies, the others are the ones sponsored by government, whether at local, state or federal level.

“Recently we have done something which the President decided with the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, at least at the federal level.

“At the federal level, what has been done in the last two weeks is that rather than the old system where the permanent secretary wrote to the Head of Service, now the Minster of Health must sign, but as a minister if what you are going for can be done in Nigeria, we would not spend public money.

“But, we must also recognise the individual rights of human beings, if you have your own money you are free to seek medical care anywhere. If it is clear that we cannot help you in Nigeria, it would be wicked of us not to allow you to go outside the country. So, that is what in the last weeks the President had directed and the head of service had written me, so, we are going to start implementing that now.

He continued, “There are so many reasons why Nigerians go abroad; one reason which is not my business is that we love things which are foreign. People who go outside the country don’t patronise government hospitals.

“There are some Nigerians detained in other countries because they could not pay for their medical bills, some of them, their communities have sought financial assistance because they cannot come back to Nigeria because they are owing. It is a big problem.

“There are things we have achieved in the last one year. For more than 10 years, we couldn’t do an open heart surgery in Nigeria, now two hospitals are doing it; in Enugu and Ibadan.