POOR FUNDING A THORN FOR THE HEALTHCARE
Healthcare in every economy ought to be given much attention and relevance as it pertains to fiscal budgeting and economic planning. In developed countries where there are elites running governmental activities and national planning it is obvious in their economic budget how that pertinence, advantage and core attention is given to the healthcare.
A country that does not recognize how valuable the healthcare sector is will certainly under fund it. So when we are talking about increment in the funding of healthcare we ought to take outright and serious actions to seeing that this demand is met.
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A lot of health facilities in Africa and in Nigeria particularly have been dilapidated or left unfinished for long time now. No completion plan or advancement plan for the health facilities. The need to invest in the healthcare sector is not a matter of being lackadaisical rather it’s a matter of rapt urgency to swing into actions. The availability of poor healthcare facilities or structures has limited in a great extent the effort of health professionals. This is visible in the efficiency. Imagine a health facility that is poorly funded it is obvious even in the structure. Now, because there is deficiency in even the structures it becomes a poor environment to work or add up as a risk factor for nosocomia infections and its transfers to other persons.
Poor funding can also be visible in the adequacy of working equipments, tools, machines and devices available for work. Because of poor funding, hospitals have become shortened in the provision of adequate and good care or therapy to patients because the resources needed for this treatment or cares aren’t available. Patients’ lives are at risks of receiving adequate and appropriate health delivery. Many at times complications of equipments malfunctioning which were left unrepaired can cause the death of patients. Imagine the generator switching off when a patient has been opened up for a laparotomy in the theatre or even a major surgery.
This will end up by the patient losing his life.
It can also be seen in the area of staffing how? Poor funding could affect staff salaries and allowances which may invoke strike actions if a proper consensus with the government is not reached or met. This has the tendencies of increasing mortality including maternal and child death.
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This is not an issue to cross legs over but for the government, NGOs or private contributors to see a need of contributing, funding or investing in the Nigerian healthcare sector as this may go a long way to consolidate, convalesce or rehabilitate the healthcare facilities in Nigeria thereby improving health delivery. Health is paramount and as such must be considered tremendous at every government policy and national planning especially in the budget.
DANLADI AMINU R.N, BNSc
