ABEOKUTA– A former lawmaker, Sen. Lanre Tejuoso has urged President Bola Tinubu to empower the primary health centers in the country to deliver quality health care to the citizens at the local level.
Tejuoso stated this Friday, while being guest speaker at the South West Zonal stakeholders meeting of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) held at the Press Center, Iwe irohin, Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital.
Speaking on the topic, ‘ The Nigerian HealthCare System: Challenges Before The New Government’, Tejuoso noted that the tertiary health care institutions have taken over the duties of the primary health center, which according to him is counter-productive.
“How can you have a simple headache, and you have to rush down to the University Teaching Hospitals. A pregnant woman doesn’t need to get to the tertiary health Institutions before receiving quality health care.
“So, I will implore the new government of President Bola Tinubu to empower the primary health center to do its primary duties, which is delivery of quality health care to citizens at the local level”, he added
Speaking on the high child mortality rate in the country, Sen. Tejuoso reteirated the need for citizens to key into the telemedicine signed into law by the last administration of Muhammadu Buhari.
“The bigger problem of that pregnant woman happened during that 10km journey because something as simple as noticing some changes in the movement of a baby and she wants to go the way to 10km away do I find out.
“Nigeria is the fastest growing communication country in the world, even your house help will have two phones. So, that should concentrate on how that phone will be more effective for the health sector, so that pregnant woman just need to call the doctor, video call or do an email in any language, and she will be attended to”, he noted.
The South West zonal meeting of NUJ leaders which attracted delegates from Osun, Ondo, Oyo, Ekiti, Lagos and the host Ogun State is expected to cross fertilize ideas as the fourth estate of the realm and speak to power on what is needed to be done by the South western Governors.
