The Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, (AGPMPN), has called on both the Federal and state governments to give maximum support to private medical practitioners for the growth of Nigeria’s health system.
The President, AGPMPN, Dr. Iyke Odo, made the call at a one-day roundtable dialogue on private sector intervention in the healthcare service in Nigeria, on Thursday, in Abuja.
Odo, however, called for the establishment of a Health Bank so that private practitioners in the health sector can access loans on favourable terms.
He explained that in all countries around the world, whose health systems were doing well, private practitioners enjoyed the deliberate support of the government, both financially and in infrastructure.
The one-day roundtable, according to him, was an effort to dialogue with critical stakeholders so as to fashion out a blueprint on the way out for our health system and then interface with the government to present alternative ways on how things should be done.
“One of those alternatives is that, there is nowhere in the world where the health sector is succeeding when the private sector is not championing it.
“But the private sector cannot champion a cause in which they do not have enablement.
”We have come to know that the biggest business of government is taxation, but, the government cannot depend on taxation and succeed except it has empowered its people to do good business in a good environment enabled by infrastructure and good financial policy.
“By this dialogue, we are calling on both the federal, state and local governments to come to the understanding that the private sector is the future of the healthcare system.
“They should support the private sector. We need a Health Bank, just like the way we have Bank of Agriculture, we have Bank of Industry.
“We need to support the health system. That is the secret of India, Europe and America. Doctors should not be going to the bank to borrow money on the same interest rates as oil companies.
“We are not businessmen. We are social welfare workers. We don’t make jumbo profits. We are here to support the people.
“Three out of 10 patients you see don’t pay. Nigerians are poor. We take patients with or without money and at the end of the day they walk away. For that reason, we need the government to support the private sector.
“Our government is trying, but we need to do more. We need to save and protect Nigerians. Look at our maternal and infant mortality, it is about the worst in the whole of Africa “ he said.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Health, Ekiti state, Dr. Oyebanji Filani, commended the private medical practitioners for their role in providing healthcare services to Nigerians.
Filani said that the private medical practitioners provided over 60 per cent of the healthcare services to patients in the country, and that more investments should be channeled to the health security of the country.
“Across the world, we have seen the impact of this pandemic on the livelihoods of people. As a country, we are experiencing our worst recession in 40 years.
“The limited fiscal room at the Federal level of government has affected the States and we have had to adjust our spending and priorities to stay afloat. These prevailing fiscal realities have of course affected the poorest households.
“But, while we mitigate the immediate consequences of the pandemic, we must also focus on building back our economy and health system for tomorrow — an economy and health system which are resilient to global health crises and economic shocks.
“By prioritising recovery plans that tackle multiple challenges, Nigeria can recover in a way that is more inclusive, sustainable and resilient,” he said.
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