Skip to main content

Reps move to stop medical tourism for public servants

Image
By
DISTURBED by the terrible state of Nigeria’s health care system due to government neglect and the huge drain on foreign exchange caused by the unchanging appetite of Nigerians for medical treatment overseas, the House of Representatives is considering a law to discourage international medical trip by public office holders.

It is a “Bill for an Act to Regulate International Trip for Medical Treatment by Public Officers to Strengthen the Health Institutions for Efficient Service Delivery and for Related Matters.”

The bill, which was consolidated with a similar proposal, yesterday, is being sponsored by Sergius Oseasichie Ogun (PDP, Edo), with its core legislative concerns as the prohibition of overseas medical trips by public officers without approval; regulate overseas medical trips by public officers and strengthen the health institutions for efficient service delivery and internal revenue generation.

Made up of 13 clauses, the sponsor said the bill was necessitated by the abuses arising from the opportunity offered public officers to seek medical treatment overseas.

Ogun said: “These abuses are many. On the pretext of fabricated medical conditions, many public officials simply disappear from Nigeria and abdicate their duties for lengthy periods, while their emoluments are being paid for the period and Nigeria is also footing the bill for their medical tours.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Post

We are sorry for 16 years failure, says PDP defector

By
FORMER commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Enugu state, Chief Joe Mammel has apologized to the people of the state, particularly to his native Ezeagu local government area for what he said was a disappointing outing of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in 16 years. Mammel who also was the Chairman of Ezeagu local government council said he was sorry to have participated in what he called PDP’s disappointing 16 years outing. He tendered the apology at his country home, Aguobu-Owa, when a businessman from his community, Kingsley Ubenyi joined the APC at Eke Ozom market square. Mammel said: “I am now in APC because of change. Change is that you have to think before you leap, I have thought about it. One thing happened, like what passes through my local government, the Enugu-Onitsha express road. For 16 years I had been in government and my people have suffered, linking themselves to the commercial city was impossible and I am married to an Anambra woman and it was impossible f...
Post a Comment
Read more

ZIKA VIRUS: ECOWAS warns Nigerians against home treatment of fevers

By
The Acting Executive Director of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, Regional Surveillance and Disease Control Centre, RCDC, Prof. Abdulsalami Nasidi has cautioned Nigerians against home management of any type of fever, particularly in women of child bearing age. His warning is coming on the heels of a prediction by The Lancet, an American scientific journal that Nigeria and seven other countries are potentially at risk of Zika virus spread. Reacting to The Lancet prediction in a telephone chat, Nasidi, who was former Director General of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, urged all Nigerians to abide by the World Health Organisation, WHO, recommendation for management of fevers. “It is very true that Zika virus may likely spread to Nigeria because the vector and all the factors that can cause Zika abound in Nigeria. We don’t know the strain that is spreading it but all we know is that the strain is spreading so fast.” He told Good Health Weekly ...
Post a Comment
Read more

I will decline N1 million English film for N200,000 Yoruba film – Oga Bello

By
When veteran Yoruba actor, Adebayo Salami, popularly known as Oga Bello speaks, there is little else to do than to listen. With more than 50 years of experience in the movie industry, everything he says must be gold or one may just as well be doing away with wisdom as the man radiates wisdom, knowledge and experience. In a recent chat with Potpourri, the veteran Thespian gave reasons he has not been appearing much in English-speaking films, reiterating that what matters to him most is the preservation of Yoruba culture. He also admitted that he had not been getting many calls for English films even though the Yoruba ones are of more importance to him. “Well, I cannot speak for those people that did not invite me, they have their personal reasons and I don’t want to go into it so much but I am sure if am invited I can express myself and I can interpret roles in English,” he said. ““ I don’t normally participate in English films like Jide Kosoko does but I must confess to you...
Post a Comment
Read more