Health workers counsel Tinubu against privatizing public hospitals

President Bola Tinubu has been urged not to agree to plans to privatise all federal health institutions since they provide no answer to the issues facing the country’s health sector, according to the Joint Health Sector Unions and Assembly of Healthcare Professional Association.

In a statement released on Thursday, the health unions stated that the action, which was allegedly intended to stop the brain drain within the ranks of the health workforce, should not be taken into consideration by the presidency in the interest of the general public.

The statement, which was signed by acting National Chairman Mathew Ajurotu, also claimed that the committee’s membership did not reflect a balanced representation.

The committee was formed for this purpose and was led by former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

It said, “When the immediate past administration constituted a 24-man Health Reform Committee under the headship of former Vice-President Yemi Osibajo, that committee was designed to fail ab initio because it had a composition of 18 physicians, one pharmacist, one medical laboratory scientist, one nurse, two administrators and one lawyer.

“All efforts to make the Osinbajo-led committee imbibe the tenets of justice, equity and fairness to all concerned was jettisoned which made us predict that the effort was going to be a waste of both time and scarce government resources.

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“There have been debates and discourses on privatisation, commercialisation as well as concessioning of health facilities in recent times for what apparently bothers on the pecuniary gains and interest of a few stakeholders.”

The group also stated that the health sector is particularly vulnerable to accepting a reform under a partnership-based reform programme to promote private sector participation and funding because of the entirety of the aforementioned difficulties.

It added that any attempt to privatise facilities in public health institutions would endanger the lives of the vast majority of Nigerians and exacerbate their current problems.

It also noted that the government had been duped into thinking that the policy reform would improve availability, accessibility, quality, and affordability of health services by expanding coverage.

“As a matter of fact, concessions, privatisation, or mutilated PPP agenda at this point in the evolution of health endeavour in Nigeria is a direct invitation to morbidity and mortality. This is worsened by the fallout of the withdrawal of fuel and electricity subsidy. The only option that works in the maximum interest of Nigerians at this time is to allow healthcare to remain a social welfare service to consumers of health,” the statement added.

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