Gov urged to spend more in healthcare

A professor of Medicine and Consultant Cardiologist at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) Prof Austin Osemwengie Obasohan has called on governments to spend more in healthcare. He said the failure of government in building a National Cardiac Centre and Institute is militating against care of patients with cardiac diseases. The professor of medicine […]

A professor of Medicine and Consultant Cardiologist at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) Prof Austin Osemwengie Obasohan has called on governments to spend more in healthcare.
He said the failure of government in building a National Cardiac Centre and Institute is militating against care of patients with cardiac diseases.
The professor of medicine also disclosed that no fewer than 3,000 patients leave Nigeria monthly to India for cardiac care at a cost of N3million each.
He made the observation at the 162nd Inaugural Lecture of the institution which held at the Akin Deko Auditorium of the University recently.
Professor Obasohan said small countries like Senegal and Ivory Coast have cardiac centers which have been operational for 25 years.
He said that the heart which plays a vital role in the life of a person needs special care, adding that cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are among the leading causes of death worldwide.
He said the diseases affecting the heart could either be congenital or caused by environmental factors.
“Family history of coronary artery disease, hypertension, heart enlargement, diabetes mellitus, obesity , high level of stress, tear in aorta, stroke, cigarette smoking are among causes of death. As a result of technological advancement, household chores which should have been done manually are now been carried out with machines. This has led many to become lazy. They no longer exercise,” he said.
He called on the government to immediately set up a National Cardiac Institute which will be saddled with the responsibility of training people to care for cardiac patients and practice of cardiology.
“If we must effectively tackle sudden death, then there is the need for us to always carry out autopsy in cases of sudden death, public enlightenment and advocacy in cardiac diseases. Businessmen and rich individuals should invest in healthcare. Also, there should be total ban on foreign medical trip at government expenses,” he said.
He also stressed the need for training and retraining of specialized personnel, extension of TETFUND to cover teaching hospitals.
He further called on the need for training of the public in basic life support measures, regular checkups of patients and review of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to include strategies to combat non-communicable Disease (NCD).
The Vice Chancellor, Professor Faraday Orumwense said, “The inaugural lecture has provided an opportunity for us to showcase our scholars to the world and their research exploits. We will not relent until the recommendations from lectures are implemented,” he said.
Uwoghiren, 400-Level Medicine and Surgery, UNIBEN