Lawmaker urges Nigerians to do regular checkups By Tunde Oyekola

The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Health, Amos Magaji has advised Nigerians to always do periodic checks on their health either in the hospital or private medical laboratories to know their health status.

Magaji who lamented that most Nigerians don’t usually bother about their health until the time they are sick and get admitted into the hospital said that Nigerians should endeavor to visit the hospitals and conduct medical tests on their health status so as to enjoy long life and good health.

The health committee chairman who spoke with Punch correspondent after the Committee conducted its oversight function at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Kwara state on Friday, said that there are good radiology departments in Nigeria’s Tertiary Health institutions where they can conduct their health checks to know their health status.

“Most Nigerians don’t go to the hospitals to check their organs until they fall sick. I want to advise them that they should go to the radiology department in our hospitals for periodic health checks. Women should make use of a Mammogram for the test of breast and Cervical cancer while men should also go for tests for Prostate enlargement regularly at least once a year.

“We have this equipment in our hospitals. We should make use of this opportunity so as to enjoy better health and long life People should develop a culture of periodic health checks on their bodies. They should not wait until the time they are sick before going to the hospital. They should go to the radiology department to know the condition of their body system.

“This will also assist doctors to know their health status when they get to the hospital. They should not wait until the time that they are sick before conducting health checks either in the hospital or approved medical laboratories in the country”, Magaji added.

He also urged them to seek medical advice from experts before ingesting drugs for ailments saying that such self-medication had contributed to the increase in cases of Renal and Liver problems in the country.

“Many Nigerians are used to taking different types of drugs including Agbo (local herbs) and other drugs not prescribed by medical experts without thinking of their effects and that is why cases of Renal and Liver diseases are becoming rampant among our people.

“Nigerians should desist from taking unprescribed drugs, they should seek medical advice from experts before they take drugs when they are sick.”

He also cautioned them against taking drugs that are very cheap which they usually buy from roadside health vendors adding that they should take prescriptions from experts and renowned pharmacies in the country so as to live long.

He said, “Though people are complaining of the high cost of drugs in the country is better to take expensive drugs than to take cheap drugs that will send you to an early grave.”

The Health Committee chairman who said that health for all can be achieved in Nigeria, however, lamented low budgetary capital allocation to Tertiary Health institutions which had been hindering the provision of facilities and equipment in Health institutions.

“The government should increase capitation of the National Health insurance. As at present, the National Health insurance covers below 20% of the people, it should be increased to about 80% and you cannot have health for all if people are still paying from their pocket.”

Magaji said that from the oversight function conducted at UITH, the committee discovered that the capital component given to the hospital was too low in the 2022/2023 budget, adding that the hospital’s budget for capital projects was below N1billion as against the recurrent of N14 billion approved for the Hospital.

“With this oversight function, our assessment is that the capital allocation for the hospital is too low. If we want to reverse the medical tourism in this country, we have to develop infrastructure and replace key equipment in our hospitals and there should be a change of attitude of our medical professionals”, he said.

He said that the Committee would work towards increasing capital budgetary allocation to health institutions in the 2025 budget.

In his comments, the Chief Medical Director of UITH, Professor Abdullahi Yusuf while appreciating the Committee for their visit stated that the committee should ensure that medical tourism is brought to the minimum.

Yusuf who said that the health committee met with the management of the hospital and offered useful advice said that some challenges facing the hospital included poor power supply, high cost of diesel and shortage of funds.

SOURCE: The Punch