The Founder of Las Vegas Pain Institute and Medical Center, US, Dr Godwin Maduka, has promised to make Anambra an affordable health tourism hub, if elected the state governor.
Maduka made the promise while speaking with journalists after obtaining the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Expression of Interest and nomination forms at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja.
The governorship aspirant, who is also a philanthropist, said one of his 10-point agenda was to make healthcare accessible and affordable in all parts of the state.
He said that as a pharmacist and medical practitioner, he would ensure that Nigerians no longer go abroad for medical treatment, but receive quality healthcare in Anambra.
“I am one of those people they go to in America to consult. We need to be able to build our own healthcare, so that we will not be flying out of this country.
“I have been back to Nigeria for the past 15 years, building one of the most sophisticated training facilities for oncology, cardiology and others.
“It is not everybody that has a visa to go elsewhere to get treatment.
“For that reason, I plan to establish emergency room cubicle in the 21 local government areas of Anambra so that people that are having stroke can go there quickly.
“People that got involved in accidents will be taken there quickly, people that are having heart attack will go there quickly,” he said.
Maduka pledged to attract factories that would be producing genuine medications, while existing hospitals in the state would be modernised and standardised.
“We are going to have a regulatory agency so that we have standard medical training, standard medication, standard treatments in Anambra State, he said”.
Maduka said his 10 points agenda also include quality and free basic education, as well as affordable and accessible tertiary education in the state.
“Our children should not be paying for elementary and secondary schools education. I am also a product of easy education. We are going make education easy.
“I will build a university in the state. Since we have 21 Local governments, I will establish campuses for the school in every local government.
“It is not universities, but campuses, so that education will be affordable, accessible and nearer to every child. A literate nation is a wealthy nation,” he said.
Maduka also promised to tackle women and youth unemployment by creating jobs through Information and Communications Technology (ICT).
“We need to teach our children ICT. If I am elected the governor of Anambra State in four years you will have Anambra phone. We will not be importing those phones, and that will save us a lot of money.
“ICT is the third language in the world. So, ICT is part of my agenda and youths should be employed,” he noted.
He pledged to develop transportation system within the state, including airport and seaport; adding that there would also be maintenance of roads, because it costs a lot of money travelling in a very bad road.
“We want to make sure that anybody constructing those roads will guarantee us that for the next 10 years there will not be any potholes.”
On social welfare, Maduka promised to take care of the poor and indigent, as well ensure regular payment of pensioners and teachers.
“We generate a lot of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), we are going to make sure that we utilise them to actualise some of these agenda.”
Maduka listed some of his contributions to the development of the state and communities to include changing the landscape of his community, road construction, building places of worship, schools, provision of electricity and water to towns.