Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, representing Ekiti central at the Nigerian Senate has canvassed for the creation of new health facilities, adding that the federal government should also strengthen existing ones to enhance health care delivery.
Specifically, Bamidele noted that establishing new healthcare facilities should not be stopped on account of the seeming poor management or funding of existing ones across the country.
SINL Nigeria Online reports that the lawmaker made the disclosure on Thursday at the sidelines of a public hearing on a Bill for the establishment of the Federal University of Medical and Environmental Sciences, Iyin Ekiti, Ekiti State.
Senator Bamidele, who sponsored the bill explained that while anticipating strengthening of existing healthcare facilities, it is still not out of place to establish new ones, saying access to quality and affordable healthcare remains a key objective.
“I think there are two issues before us as a nation, one is on the need for us to strengthen existing health facilities across the country, but while that is being done, the need to continue to create more health facilities cannot be over emphasised.
“In the first instance there must be accessibility. I will give you a simple example, if a woman is in labour, and especially when you have to transport that woman for a very far distance, because you are looking for an hospital or health facility, you know the kind of danger such a woman would face.
“Similarly, somebody who has a health emergency, you have to travel for a hundred kilometers because all government has done is to strengthen existing facilities without creating new ones, it means that there is no development in the health sector, so for us, the two issues are there -we must continue to strengthen existing ones and we must continue to create new health facilities”.
On funding, Bamidele observed “there have to be proper funding, I think it is all about the kind of priority that we accord to it. There is no government any where in the world that have enough to fund all it desire, it is just for government to define and redifine it’s priority from time to time” he said.
Also speaking, the Paramount king of Iyin Kingdom, Oba Adeola Adeniyi Ajakaiye, expressed optimism that if approved by the Senate, establishment of the institution will be a remarkable milestone.
