It is a very big shame and apology that even the so called government of the day don't trust our hospitals.His case(Atiku) hasn't gone dat bad for him to travel out or treatment.Even our local bone healers would do a more thorough job than the hospital abroad.

Anyway,the govt should mind the way they spend our money,cos posterity would never forgive them for for any waste.

angel101:

@ dozman
u are obviously not enlightened at all!
since when does having private hospitals stop the govt from developing govt ones. (that should be free or at least affordable to the masses) or do u expect a country to run on privately owned health care facilities? is that not one of the most essential services required by the people? so u reckon it will take God coming down to provide basic and essential amenities.
where the hell are u from?!!

One of the most effective socities in the world - the U.S. operate private hospitals. If the Government hospitals suck, the private ones are supposed to compensate for that albeit at a higher price, if the private one sucks then there is something wrong with the society we're living in and it has as much to do with you and I than it has to do with the Government. The Government doesn't bribe our way through medical school and end up producing quack, incapable doctors, do they?

Abi the guy carrry plane load of kudi go dump for him bunk.

Dem do am b4 o.

Atiku has got no broken knee. His trip is another political bullet targeted at OBJ's government. If you watch AIT's MATTERS ARISING yesterday, you will agree with me that Atiku embarked on that trip for two main purposes;
(1) To send a wrong signal to the national and International communities that all is not well with our health facilities here in Nigeria.
(2) To take his threat of chaos and anarchy to the International communities should INEC exclude his name from the ballot paper of April poll.
The Atiku Vanguard Shamelessly and openly came on air yesterday to tell the world that Nigeria would go in flame if the name of their 'Principal' is not printed in the ballot papers for the April poll. Well, we aar waiting.
I wish him a successful operation. IF THERE IS ANY.

Donzman:

Posted by DOZMAN

If the Government hospitals suck, the private ones are supposed to compensate for that albeit at a higher price, if the private one sucks then there is something wrong with the society

Not to take anything away from you, but you're missing the point.

Private hospitals are supposed to be bonus or secondary in our or any society for the elites who can afford the service;
While the public hospitals are the primary source of health care in any decent society.

FYI: infact if the private hospitals suck, it is a good thing to the citizens, as long as the public hospitals meet the highest standard of health care requirements.

What we are saying here is to find a better strategy to send message out there that enough is enough, our people do not want to live like this anymore. Is time to make adjustment and improve the standard of living in Nigeria.
We have enough resources, we just need a focused and committed leader to take us there.

Private hospitals are PRIMARY in the US, you live there and should know this. Private hospitals are supposed to be better than their public counterparts, that's the only way private hospitals should ever exist anyway.

Donzman:

Private hospitals are PRIMARY in the US, you live there and should know this. Private hospitals are supposed to be better than their public counterparts, that's the only way private hospitals should ever exist anyway.

Fantastic the way you mutilate real issues.
Since private hospitals are "primary" in the US that you don't live in anyway, are the goverment hospitals any worse off?

Dozman:

Please forget USA for a minute; let's stay focused.
United States is over developed and it will be senseless to try to match things with them.

Back to the subject: we must find a better way to improve public hospitals in Nigeria. This must start by banning top public officials from flying abroad for medical purpose.
They are the leaders, they administer our daily federal government activities, they should be responsible for all outcomes; hence they should be forced to use the same resource they've designed for an ordinary Nigerian to use.

maybe if Yar Adua had died on the operatiing table from power failure at the national hospital in Abuja someone would have decided to fix things. But since Germany is only an air ambulance away, no one cares.

come o - i see the man for KFC for West London - this is true - walahi talai, if unu see the seriousness wey him dey tear chicken, i say kai, Atikuuuuuuu, na leg u say dey pain u, na chicken u dey hear dey wallop, im say - comot there, wetin u know.

Ol' boy - i tire o.

davidylan:

Fantastic the way you mutilate real issues.
Since private hospitals are "primary" in the US that you don't live in anyway, are the goverment hospitals any worse off?

does this form the world standard? how about in all the other countries of the world? how about having a private military? private hospitals are meant to compliment government structures period!  

@davidylan
Excellent point.

I think we should all take ATIKU's and YARADUA's recent medical issues as a lesson; this is also an effective message to the new leader.
We must improve

It is very interesting that the 2 frontliners for the office of president and men who have spent the last 8 years promising heaven on earth should choose to by their actions prove that our health facilities are inadequate!

Why did Umoru not choose to fly to Katsina if he had done the right thing in 8 years? Where was Atiku when he knew the National hospital could not even treat a common knee strain?

Why should we vote for a man who will spend the better part of 4 yrs going abroad to treat common cold? Why dont they just stay and contest presidential elections in the UK or Germany?

Atiku didnt even go to the National Hospital, official reports claim that once Aso Clinics (in Aso rock) couldn't treat it, he decided to fly out

I'm more than certain that hospitals can repair ordinary torn tendon, its just the lack of trust in the Nigerian system that makes them run about


its a general distrust that causes these issues, and the perennial everything is better abroad mentality

some private hospitals in Lagos are just as good as some of these foreign hospitals they run to.

@davidylan

Excellent point again.

too much grammar - these issues dated back to 1979 - Shagari's era, when Nigerians go abroad just to shop for common handkerchiefs, yes, I knew a lot who did that. The whole thing is replaying itself, not for shopping anymore, but for medical services. Well, the west is advanced and people will continue to partronise the services they offer, but then, this shouldnt be done to the detriment of the facilities in developing countries, if the doctors say they can't handle it, maybe they are right? God will not put us in a situation where our case will be too hard to handle by the easiest means possible.

The facilities are no there for now, this is true, but hey - Rome wasnt built in a day - hopefully, one day soon, we will get to where these same western countries are already, in every facet, not only in health, in education, in infrastructure and indeed in everything.

Private hospitals are good, but hey - u dont expect the President or the VP to seek after them.

Mr Alabiyemmy, you are confusing issues here.

Like someone mentioned earlier, it is not an issue when a longtime patron of Mitsubishi is found driving a Nissan but when the CEO of Toyota has the latest Honda car parked in his driveway then it is cause for alarm!

debosky:

its a general distrust that causes these issues, and the perennial everything is better abroad mentality

some private hospitals in Lagos are just as good as some of these foreign hospitals they run to.

Here is where my grouse lays, if this men believe everything is better abroad, why then is running for political office a do-or-die affair? Why cant they just relocate abroad and leave us alone to wallow in our under development?

very simple - local champion/opportunity to steal

they are nobodies abroad without Nigeria, so they prefer to subjugate and dominate, while the source of their wealth (ill gotten for most of them) lies with being relevant in Nigerian politics

a serious leader banning overseas medical travel except in very exceptional cases is what we need, at least for the medical sector.

debosky:

a serious leader banning overseas medical travel except in very exceptional cases is what we need, at least for the medical sector.

As long as Yar Adua is in power we can forget about such a law. He himself is dependent on the Germans for proper functioniing of his kidneys.
Only in Africa are our leaders at the mercy of common foreign doctors!

@daviddylan.

Man mi, you wont think like that if you are in government - or if you are rich and can afford the best. Why do foreign heads of state go to other countries for holiday? because they can afford it, why do millionaires go for the best, because they can afford it. The decay in the system had been there for years, it wont take officials partronising it to improve, it takes a political will, funds and indeed the general goodwill of the people.

If government today announces they wat to build a state of the earth medical facility in Nigeria, people will shout, the critics will shout, they will say it is a waste of money, but that doesnt mean the basic health facilities should suffer. If Atioro's case was too hot to handle in Abuja and they say, common go to London, u will find healing, even if his second name is Mr Lover of Common man, he wont say, no, dont fly me abroad because i want to identify with the common man and indeed with the poor facilities at home, he will go for the best.

not so?

alabiyemmy:

@daviddylan.

Man mi, you wont think like that if you are in government - or if you are rich and can afford the best. Why do foreign heads of state go to other countries for holiday? because they can afford it, why do millionaires go for the best, because they can afford it. The decay in the system had been there for years, it wont take officials partronising it to improve, it takes a political will, funds and indeed the general goodwill of the people.

Not so my dear! How many times have you heard of George Bush going to Jamaica on holidays? Has Tony Blair gone to Zambia on holidays, Chirac to Mexico or Angela Merkel to Spain on holidays?
Only in AFrica do our leaders junket around the globe on perpetual holidays!

MR DONZMAN SORRY TO SAY THAT YOUR ARGUMENT IS CLUELESS.

THIS SAME MENTALITY YOU HAVE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR WHY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE DIED IN TEXAS DURING HURICANE KATRINA. PEOPLE HAD NO MONEY TO RUN FOR THEIR LIVES, IF THE SAME HAPPENS IN BRITAIN PEOPLE WILL SIMPLY JUMP ON THE TRAIN TO WHEREVER MONEY OR NO MONEY.

WILL YOU NOW SUGGEST THAT THE FACT THAT IT IS AMERICA, NOT HAVING PROPER MASS TRANSIT OR RAIL SYSTEM IN PLACE IS ACCEPTABLE?

@Alabiyemi

Any leader too rich to use the same services he provides his people is simply too rich to be President of Nigeria. Simple

@ Mckren

Could not have said it any better!!!

A strong or decent nation must have these 3 solid factors at the top of their priority list.
1. Excellent health care for the citizen.
2. Excellent Education standard for the citizens.
3. Reliable security for the citizens.

Does any of these factors exist at the top of our leaders' priority list?

Believe me, we are in trouble.
I think this is good news and a sign that we must restructure things in Nigeria, and the next leader will play a major role in restoring things back to normal.
Therefore it is very critical to makesure that our next leader is capable, mentally and physically.

It is totally up to us, Nigerian citizens to do the right thing by thinking deeply about all obstacles and future of our nation before casting our vote.

May God bless sweet Nigeria.

If the Government isn't providing adequate healthcare, what happened to the private ones?. . .Why does all the blame now have to be heaped on the Government hospitals even though they're often light years ahead of the private hospitals? Are private enterprises not supposed to be more efficient than Government enterprises?

Use your brains, healthcare in Nigeria has nothing to do with Government, it has everything to do with you and I. People who will bribe their way in and out of medical school only to come out without knowing vein from artery. You and I who will import fake drugs into the country and sell it.

Don't blame private failures on the Government, the Government isn't God. The fact that private and public hospitals have failed in Nigeria has more to say about Nigerians than the Nigerian Government.

THIS SAME MENTALITY YOU HAVE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR WHY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE DIED IN TEXAS DURING HURICANE KATRINA. PEOPLE HAD NO MONEY TO RUN FOR THEIR LIVES, IF THE SAME HAPPENS IN BRITAIN PEOPLE WILL SIMPLY JUMP ON THE TRAIN TO WHEREVER MONEY OR NO MONEY.

WILL YOU NOW SUGGEST THAT THE FACT THAT IT IS AMERICA, NOT HAVING PROPER MASS TRANSIT OR RAIL SYSTEM IN PLACE IS ACCEPTABLE?

How does this even relate?

I disagree with you donzman - it is the medical personnel from these medical schools that are emigrating in droves to the US, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere, if they all cheated that wouldn't happen.

Healthcare has EVERYTHING to do with government - they own the hospitals, employ medical personnel, and are suppose to provide quality facilities

If a doctor is the best in the world, without tools to do his job, he is just a consultant, he'll give you advice or tell you what is wrong without being able to help you.

in Canada as you must know, healthcare is totally in govt hands, only now are they beginning to consider private hospitals.

Government has a lot to do with it, if it doesn't spend money required on the hospitals and other infrastructure, and if it promotes a notion that the local hospitals are no good by flying its officials out at the slightest discomfort.

the fake drugs thing has been curtailed now because the government woke up to its responsibilities in that sector.

Nigerians aren't an unteachable lot, show the proper examples and they will follow.

Donzman:

If the Government isn't providing adequate healthcare, what happened to the private ones?. . .Why does all the blame now have to be heaped on the Government hospitals even though they're often light years ahead of the private hospitals? Are private enterprises not supposed to be more efficient than Government enterprises?

Where the world is it expected that private enterprises are supposed to be more efficient than private ones? If the duty of private enterpreneurs is to provide good healthcare then of what use is the government?
The US runs a healthcare system that is based almost entirely on government support!

Donzman:

Use your brains, healthcare in Nigeria has nothing to do with Government, it has everything to do with you and I. People who will bribe their way in and out of medical school only to come out without knowing vein from artery. You and I who will import fake drugs into the country and sell it.

It is not enough to just issue "use your brain" statements. Let us engage our minds for a moment:
- Who are supposed to be in charge of our teaching hospitals? Private investors?
- Do you know how much health care infrastructure alone costs? How many private enterprenuers can actually afford to build a state of the art hospital without depending on government loans?
- Does electricity required to power these hospitals rest solely on private investors too?
- What of good roads, potable water, sound emergency system, health insurance? Are all these the responsibility of the private investor?

People bribe their way to medical school? What of the thousands of Nigerian doctors in US and European healthcare systems?
Importation of fake drugs? Does this not say something about the government's inability to provide those drugs in our local dispensaries?
Is the common man able to afford even those fake drugs?

Donzman:

Don't blame private failures on the Government, the Government isn't God. The fact that private and public hospitals have failed in Nigeria has more to say about Nigerians than the Nigerian Government.

So the fact that Yar Adua had to be whisked away to Germany to check his kidneys and Atiku junketted off to London for a sprained knee is attributed to private failures? Despite the fact that these same guys/rogues have been in control of billions of oil dollars in the last 8 yrs?

Are common Nigerians the reason for the collapse of our teaching hospitals?

@Donzman

There can't be private success in the midst of monumental Govt failure.

4 Play:

@Donzman

There can't be private success in the midst of monumental Govt failure.

Tell that to Milton Friedman and get smacked in the face. Yes there can and will always be private success even when Government does not exist because sensible individuals can always get together and do things to benefit them. Did the Government not fail in telecoms? What happened when private individuals decided to provided telecom. services? Think before you speak please.

Where the world is it expected that private enterprises are supposed to be more efficient than private ones? If the duty of private enterpreneurs is to provide good healthcare then of what use is the government?
The US runs a healthcare system that is based almost entirely on government support!

Private enterprises are supposed to be more efficient than public ones, it's a FACT of economic life. One of the few justifications allowed by capitalists for Government intervention is in cases where the private enterprises fail due to a number of reasons like externalities, monopolies, poor definition of property rights or in the case of a public good. I do not wish to get into technical details with you but health care is NOT a public good.

It is completely excludable and rival so there is no reason why private individuals can say they're not able to deliver adequate healthcare at whatever price. The private sector is INADEQUATE which has naturally led to the over dependence of Government hospitals. Long story cut short, if the private hospitals were any good, the Government might be able to sustain its hospitals.

The US runs a healthcare system that is based almost entirely on government support!

Which US have you been living in?. . .The same US that keeps ragging on Canada for having a publicly provided healthcare system?

Do you know how much health care infrastructure alone costs? How many private enterprenuers can actually afford to build a state of the art hospital without depending on government loans?

Is it not human beings putting up sprawling mansions in Ikoyi, V.I., Abuja? Did they need Government loans for that?. . .Haven't you heard of people getting together to raise capital?. . .

Does electricity required to power these hospitals rest solely on private investors too?

Aren't there factories in Nigeria?. . .What do they use? Why can't the hospitals do the same?

What of good roads, potable water, sound emergency system, health insurance? Are all these the responsibility of the private investor?

Why do you comment when you have no clue?. . .Private firms DO supply health insurance in the US where you live. Do you even bother to go out and take a look around? Where do you get the idea that health insurance is limited to the Government?

Portable water, can't you dig boreholes and purchase a filtering system like MANY homes in Nigeria have anyway?

So the fact that Yar Adua had to be whisked away to Germany to check his kidneys and Atiku junketted off to London for a sprained knee is attributed to private failures? Despite the fact that these same guys/rogues have been in control of billions of oil dollars in the last 8 years?

Are common Nigerians the reason for the collapse of our teaching hospitals?

If we had a good private hospital in Nigeria, they wouldn't be whisked away to wherever.

Ask yourself what you did about that guy in your class who you know bribed the lecturer and tell me you have nothing to do with the deteriorating schooling system.

@ Donzman, your "argument" is full of holes but here is where i realised it would be a smart idea to ignore you from now on:

Donzman:

Aren't there factories in Nigeria?. . .What do they use? Why can't the hospitals do the same?

Factories such as Michelin that just recently closed its factory in portharcourt no thanks to poor power supply?
Which other industries are you refering to?
Does your school have a private power plant?

Donzman:

Portable water, can't you dig boreholes and purchase a filtering system like MANY homes in Nigeria have anyway?

Just wondering if the Canadian government forced you to dig your own borehole and purchase a filtering system "like MANY homes in Nigeria have anyway".

Donzman:

If we had a good private hospital in Nigeria, they wouldn't be whisked away to wherever.

Wonderful! So it is now the duty of the common man to provide health facilities for our elected leaders?