• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Lagos considers neighbourhood doctors to close healthcare gap

Lagos considers neighbourhood doctors to close healthcare gap

As the appetite of Sanwo-Olu’s administration for an inclusive government and grassroots governance grows, Lagos State is considering the creation of neighbourhood doctors to close the gap in health care delivery in rural communities.

The intention was made known by Morenike Babington-Ashaye, founder, International Centre for Tax Research and Development (ICTRD), at a three-day conference organised recently by the United People Global (UPG) and Lagos State, in collaboration with ICTRD.

If a resolution is reached leading to the establishment, the neighbourhood doctors initiative would augment the efforts of the primary healthcare centres by making health care accessible to residents.

In addition, Babington-Ashaye said the neighbourhood doctors would enable residents get health care before they can go to a health clinic, stating that the idea was born out of several discussions with communities bordering on access to health care.

“We are looking at how we can create neighbourhood doctors, that is, within your neighbourhood. At least, you have a doctor to run to immediately before you even go to a health clinic; because, from the community conversations we have done so far; we found out that the community health centres are far away from each other, that if anything happens in a particular community, before you get to the health centre of a community that has a health centre is only if God says you are going to survive that you will survive,” Babington-Ashaye said.

Expressing her concern about the health of the people and the bad situation of medical doctors and health facilities, she said they were looking at how people and the private sector can partner with the government to bridge the gap in the health sector as it would create more jobs and investment opportunities.

“We are looking at investment opportunities. For doctors now, if it is agreed that we create neighbourhood clinics or neighbourhood doctors, that will be employment opportunity for doctors. It will also create jobs for auxiliary workers. And of course, there will be a clinic that will be built there. So that will generate a lot of opportunities –employment opportunities, investment opportunities,” the tax expert said.

Again, Babington-Ashaye confirmed to BusinessDay that “doctors are not being helped at all by governments” and not just Lagos state alone, while also stating that the situation was different in other climes.

“In other places, doctors are helped with facilities, whether it’s an insurance policy that will be created, whether it’s government that is going to intervene with funds so that every health centre is well equipped. So it means that private sector will have to come in now or we have private public partnership in the health sector,” she said.

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This year’s UPG theme, ‘Towards a Greater Lagos –The People’s Project’ presented a fine opportunity for stakeholders to moot the variables that could help Sanwo-Olu deliver on his agenda for inclusive governance, inclusive growth, and inclusive development.

“The governor believes a lot in inclusive governance and so he’s inviting lots of stakeholders to join in and build a greater Lagos. So as his initiative, we started the journey since June, where we brought people together to encourage them to participate, take ownership of a greater Lagos,” said Yemi Babington Ashaye, president, UPG.

“I think that his initiative has caught fire. And so we’ve had lots of different stakeholders host other Lagosians, to say ‘lets us define a greater Lagos because we’re asking two questions –what does great Lagos mean and what can everybody do to get there,” he further said.

Since Lagos State’s governor stepped into power after a highly violent election; he has been pushing for inclusivity. This has led to numerous stakeholder consultations within various local governments.

At these meetings, discussions focus on Sanwo-Olu’s ‘six pillars’ which include transportation, health and environment, education and technology, making Lagos a 21st century economy, entertainment, tourism and sports, and security and governance.

UPG’s president believes that these pillars will pull Lagos’ economy forward as a greater Lagos is expected to yield better education, better transportation and more business opportunities.

He called on the private sector to participate in the project, stating that a greater Lagos belongs to everybody. “Let us build a greater Lagos not because we should, but because we can,” he said.

ANTHONY NLEBEM & DESMOND OKON