Former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, has lamented the deplorable state of Nigeria’s health sector, stating that many households have resorted to prayers as their only hope when sick, due to the unaffordability of medicines.
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Obi made this remark while delivering a keynote address at the 6th Public Lecture of the Board of Fellows, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (BOF-PSN) at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.
He criticized the government’s prioritization of importation of drugs over partnering with local pharmaceutical industries, resulting in exorbitant prices that make drugs inaccessible to the poor.
Obi highlighted the inadequate allocation to health in the national budget and the deplorable state of primary health centers, citing his experience at a primary health center in Abuja where one medical staff attended to 50 pregnant women.
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He emphasized the need for good governance, local production of drugs, and health insurance for all citizens. Obi’s remarks were praised by the chairman of BOF-PSN, Dr. Joel E. B. Adagadzu, who acknowledged Obi’s commitment to championing a new Nigeria and the pharmacists’ dedication to improving the health sector.