The Historical Review of Nigerian Health System and The Coming To Life Of Afe Babalola Multi-System Hospital.

In the days before now, in Africa, the quick fix to diseases and illnesses of any kind was believed to be a perogative of Herbalists, Orators, Soothsayers, Palmists, and Seers. For a black man, illness could only be a reparation for one's sins, an affliction by the enemy, or simply, a penalty for making the gods angry. The African foregoers undeniably did their best towards curing diseases, and sometimes giving to patients the empathy unfound in Many Nigerian Modern medicine professionals of today. However, African Traditional medicine was not diagnostic, and; as a result, there were not many natural causes known for health challenges, but unfleshy reasons, many a time said to require sacrifices backed up with locally prepared solutions, often prescribed without dosage. The first recorded entry of Western-styled medicine into Nigeria was in 1854, when Dr. Baike used quinine to shut out the growing mortality of white expeditioners inclusive of the Legendary Mungo Park. Down the line, in 1880, the first health centre was built by the Church Missionary Society(Anglican), and, the first hospital; Sacred heart, by the Roman Catholic Church in Abeokuta, 1885. It did not stop at that, the inaugural Government of Nigeria, under Lord Lugard, also advanced Modern medicine, by establishing the first government-owned hospital, St Magaret's, in Calabar, in the year 1889, aside the many health centres previously built to serve the Millitary. Today, it is an unequal story, as Nigeria is home to thousands of Health centres and Hospitals owned by Governments, Missions, Associations and individuals. Nevertheless, it is out of luck and/or unfortunate to learn that after 150yrs of the entrée of Hypocrate's medicine into Nigeria of over 35,000 certified medical Doctors, the health system is still in the pits. What could be guilty of the unshrouded deficiency in our health sector? Nigerian hospitals have since the coon's age lost the confidence and trust of citizens on account of faulty hospital infrastructures, insufficient medical equipment, ineffiicient health service providers and dearth of drugs and some other medical necessaries. Lack of empathy on the part of Doctors and Nurses, and, round-the-clock industrial actions are also among the many visibles that fit out those who can afford quality medical care abroad for the next available flight, at the slightest show-up of ailment, a development that makes Nigeria lose about 50 billion naira to medical tourism every year. Beyond is the Inappropriate funding of the health sector and ravaging corruption that makes Nigerians stare in the face, horse and buggy machines, dilapidated hospital structures, unhappy Doctors and Nurses; while developed countries enjoy the use of Modern equipment, Up-to-the-minute infrastructures and the passionate delivery of well paid service providers. It is so bad in Nigeria, giant of Africa, that even the Aso rock clinic cannot be unmentioned in our history of blues, as Aisha, wife of the President, recently mourned its scandalous state. Yes, Our story was that of hopelessness, in that, if the government could find it incredibly titanic, the bread and butter of a clinic, for which about 3 billion naira was budgeted; what is the fate of other hospitals, especially those in the rural areas of the country? The world health organisation ranked Nigerian health system 187th out of 191 countries in year 2000 just as the life expectancy in Nigeria is currently 54.05yrs, which is 216th position in the world and 16th in Africa. Furthermore, the executive director of the National primary healthcare development agency ( NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib, put children and women yearly mortality, caused by preventable diseases at 3,000, among many other deaths which would have been nonexistent should we have a befitting health system. How many can we acknowledge from the stream of misfortunes brought about by our behind-the-times health system?

On the other hand, In the thick of our health dilemma as a Nation, the establishment of Afe Babalola Multi-System Teaching Hospital is a balm on sore to Nigeria as a whole and to Ekiti state in particular, just like the Yorubas would say, that When a Man's head would favour him, it takes him straight to a problem solver. The hi-tech, ultramodern 400-bed hospital, built on 60 hectares of land is the first of its kind in sub-Sahara Africa as a result of its state of the art infrastructures, latest medical equipments and highly qualified Professionals brought in from within and without Nigerian borders. Afe Babalola University teaching hospital, a 9 block architecture set up with a view to stemming medical tourism in Nigeria, by providing for citizens every medical service available anywhere in the world, is proving true to its calling, as it has kicked off with a bounce by reportedly being able to offer up to the following medical services in the very first month of its life span: Fluoroscopy, which displays the interior of a patients body on a fluorescent screen, thereby allowing real-time viewing and examination; Endoscopy, which creates an avenue for Doctors to examine the inside of a patient's body with the aid of an endoscope, and operate on it(if necessary), without surgery, but with the use of a specialised equipment; Nuclear Medicine, in which a tiny radioactive material is used to diagnose a disease, determine its severity and also bring about its cure; Bone Densitometer, Pet-scan, ECG and Threadmill test among others. Besides, the hospital has confessed to offering Cancer Treatment, Transplant Surgery, Joint replacement and Dental surgery; the four cardinal defense for Nigerians' Medical visits to India, Germany and the US. Recently, the Multi-System Hospital got a tele-medicine equipment that would allow her pitch into tele-consulting, tele-diagnosis and tele-management, i.e experts from Dubai would complement the efforts of their Nigerian counterparts working in the hospital, by attending to patients right from their base, through an unscreen session; that is in addition to an automated device that transports blood, drugs, and other medical necessaries through a prematic tube. This up-to-the-minute machine connects the Pharmacy, Laboratories, Modular theatres and other operating theatres, Radio Frequency Cage, and wards, therefore, bringing about a drift to what the situation is in many Nigerian hospitals where patients and their family members have to go buy drugs from Mercury and submit samples in Jupiter. The hospital which has also entered into partnership with reputable international organisations such as the renowned Abbot laboratories, Aster hospital group, Dubai, among others, can best be described as a world of medical facilities and it is one reason enough to make Nigerians beat their chest with pride. Of the many contributions of Aare Afe Babalola to nation building, the hospital in review is indeed a milestone; even, for the whole of Africa, and, in addition to accolades from inland and foreign bodies, counting the prestigious University of London, he is well deserving of respect and champagne from every single Nigerian. Babalola, who had handled over 10,600 court cases as an attorney, has enriched Nigerian Judiciary, contributed to farming, education and now health. As Pro-chancelor and chairman governing council of the University of Lagos, Afe discharged his duties so passionately that he was decorated the best Nigerian Pro-chancellor in two consecutive years, before moving on to establish Afe Babalola University, which he nurtured, first; to the fastest growing private University, and, now the best in the whole of Africa. If there is anything to teach Nigerian big men, who would rather buy for themselves unprecedented luxuries in expensive cars, private jets and Multi-billion naira houses which have no positive impact on a people and country that wallows in abject poverty, it is Afe and his investments in humans. If his hospital alone, would employ 2,000 people, how many fortunate few like him do we need to make Ekiti and Nigeria a place of diverse employment opportunities? The man of many Doctorates has done his part, actually, to bring the Nigerian health system to global reckoning, what is left now is for the Government to excite such a selfless move by prohibiting medical tourism, especially for politicians who take many Nigerian billions to Foreign hospitals in the name of treatment. Never again should Nigerian leaders travel abroad on tax payers millions to cure sicknesses of any kind, we've got in Ekiti a Multi-System hospital that will take care of, even, the President not to talk of Ministers, Governors, Senators and all who seek the kind of medical care the Queen of England enjoys. Long live Aare Afe Babalola, Long live his beautiful hospital.

Ayeni Faith Damilola is a Writer, Public Speaker and Eulogist.
faithdamilolaayeni@yahoo.com.