OSUN State goverment will invest N1
billion in the rehabilitation of its nine
state hospitals in 2013.
The governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola,
disclosed this in Osogbo on Friday
during the inauguration of the free
medical eye treatment organised by
the state government with the Al-
Basar International Foundation in
Saudi Arabia.
The free medical mission includes free
eye screening, free eye surgeries and
distribution of free eye glasses to the
patients, among others.
The governor also said that in the last
one year, his administration had spent
N120 million on the procurement of
drugs for the free health programme.
Aregbesola noted that the medical
mission was a demonstration of his
administration’s commitment to
providing good health for the people
of the state.
“We are adopting complementary
strategies to ensure the high standard
of health for our people and this is in
the area of environmental sanitation
that we have been encouraging.
“We know that no amount of money
committed to the good healthcare
delivery could be worthwhile if the dirt
on our environment is left
unattended to.
“That is the reason for our efforts on
desilting and deflooding of flood-
prone areas within the state,” the
governor said.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr.
Temitope Ilori, commended the
governor for his efforts at providing
good healthcare for the people.

Source:- tribune.com.ng/news2013/index.php/en/component/k2/item/2017-osun-to-commit-n1bn-to-hospitals’-rehabilitation-in-2013

How far now this Osun Governor? I have been hearing some good works from him of recent.

He took the idea he got from Lagos to Osun as a commissioner

Eko oni baje, never
Osun a dara

Good intention but pursued in a wrong manner.
Until the government learns that politics should be removed from healthcare delivery, they will continue to be flown abroad after every episode of food poisoning.

What bussiness has the government got in buying free drugs, eye glasses etc....

What Nigerians want now is a self sustaining system not cheap ploitical points from some deranged political minds. You buy free drugs (contracts for your padi padi dem)- an opportunity to share our taxes and resources.

The government should renovate and equip the hospitals employ workers there and train them. They should then hand off the rest. An average general hospital or comprehensive health centre serves more than 1000% of the population it was meant for, you see 2-3 miserable doctors who aren't sponsored to update their knowledge in such facilities and you expect wonder!

There is community health insurance- the government may want to pay the premium on behalf of their citizens. Such that when those peasants get to the hospital of their choice, they get properly treated without paying a dime and without the government getting involved or bragging. Let the government monitor and regulate the activities of healthcare providers and see if they won't achieve better healthcare delivery.

You buy free drugs through shady contract deals and the drugs get stolen by collaborators and swines in the hospital. People get there and they hear the common phrase in such programmes- "free drug out of stock".

Too much disdain for what is urs and unnecessary zeal for what is white and foreign. You import some albinos from Saudi Arabia, house and feed them and pay them in hard dollars that you don't have while your people wallow in poverty and hunger.
The government has a lot of ophthalmologists and optometrists on on its payroll; why doesn't it induce them a little and use them fir such free things? No, they won't cos choppings won't go round.

I'm from Osun state, a de vex wen ogbeni wey a respect de get involved in this kain thin.
So, after the free thing through the sharia albinos, what happens to the people? They are left to take their destinies to those morgues of healthcare facilities!

@alstacs,

1.I'm really impressed about your idea, as practiced in most advanced countries like the US and UK
2. But I think Osun is far from ripe to play such a model
3. It is important that we build good hospital infrastructures and supporting requirements first before playing this model. The necessary infrastructure (hospitals, equipments, doctors, paramedics, drugs and funding for research etc) is a long work from the ideal.
4. Medical insurance is also complicated. It's tied to a database system for a state, with records of employment or business. This may be where issues may come out and most of the poor with no defined means of livelihood that can be recorded are cut off
5. The government can assist in paying premium, but trust me, once you go the way of medical insurance, a precursor to that is that you've privatized virtually of the hospitals and the government will hands off and not may not pay premium as expected

mapet: @alstacs,

1.I'm really impressed about your idea, as practiced in most advanced countries like the US and UK
.................
5. The government can assist in paying premium, but trust me, once you go the way of medical insurance, a precursor to that is that you've privatized virtually of the hospitals and the government will hands off and not may not pay premium as expected

I quite agree with you and I appreciate your ideas. I must say I love nairaland cos of folks like you.
However, I live in Nigeria and I know that the health insurance for now works a little different from what obtains outside. The NHIS has been begging state governments to enlist their employees......they are not interested. They prefer brief unsustainable programmes to score cheap points.

The NHIS of Nigeria has a programme for the rural community where people are encouraged to form cooperative societies or religious associations to subscribe. They pay a small token per year and they are covered against over 90% of health events for the year.
We surely do have issues about our population statistics but this is partially overcome by the fact Okada riders have association that can subscribe, petty traders, farmers and market women have. If you don't belong to any of the categories, you may wish to register as an individual.
Government hospitals are involved in the care provision as well as the highbrow private hospitals. You choose the facility you want. You therefore see a farmer in a very wonderful hospital. This has made a lot of private hospitals improve their services and customer care so as to gain enrollees also they may be delisted if customers complain. They will therefore lose the monthly capitations the get.
Even government hospitals that get involved have a lot of money to develop their facilities.

Health insurance is not the best but seems to be a little better than our government can ever offer. It has got a lot of issues to. The only fully private sector here are the health maintenance organisations.
Let the government and politicians score their points by paying premium of their market women for example for 2 years.
The government of Nigeria sincerely doesn't have any bussiness in health care running for now. Ordinary road, power etc have proven us right.

What I'm saying in short is- Osun or any other state in Nigeria is ripe. The blueprint has be developed, the programme is under the NHIS. The government has nothing to do than just encourage the people to enlist or register. funny enough, some local governments in northern Nigeria have started subscribing and their citizens walk into hospitals and enjoy! You may wish to check on Niger and I think Gombe.
I don't work for NHIS or any HMO neither do I own a hospital! I just get annoyed when people suffer and die in ignorance when they can reject the yearly cup of rice from their senator and demand for better life starting with health.