FG commended on passage of tertiary hospital development fund bill

The Mahuemolen Aduke Odibo Foundation -MAOF has commended Federal Government on recent passage of the Tertiary Hospital Development Fund Bill for rehabilitation, restoration and consolidation of tertiary healthcare in Nigeria.

The bill is expected to provide and maintain infrastructure required for tertiary healthcare service delivery, health research, staff training and development across the country.

The Founder and co-Chairman of MAOF, Cecilia Odibo, said this during the donation of medical oxygen, cylinders, and other items to the University of Lagos (UNILAG) medical centre.

According to her the move has created a paradigm shift from the usual norm, whereby the Federal Government was solely responsible for the financing of tertiary health institutions up to the financial burden of taxes being imposed on certain bodies and companies.

Odibo, however, called for transparency and accountability in the management of funds when the bill is fully passed into law.

The inspiration for MAOF was to immortalise Mahuemolen Aduke Odibo, a very promising young lady and an undergraduate 400 level student of the faculty of law from UNILAG, whose life was cut short due to medical negligence, which was occasioned by lack of medical oxygen gas, suction machine and improper administration of professional care, she said.

She also said that the Foundation resolved to contribute its quota to improving the society’s healthcare delivery system by addressing issues on medical negligence, inadequate medical equipment and citizenship education to minimise the occurrence and address the knowledge gaps on issues of medical negligence.

With evidence that the narrative is still the same old story, she maintained that more people are becoming victims of medical negligence.

Sharing her experience on the death of her daughter, she said Mahuemolen is yet to get justice since 2017 when her case was filed at the Nigeria Medical Council.

The MAOF founder, who alleged that nothing has been heard as her file has been buried, said: “Her case which should have been a watershed on negligence in Nigeria has been submerged into dust like other cases while the medical personnel that committed the evil act are left to walk freely, even change jobs, killing more innocent Nigerians through this same negligent acts that the Foundation speak against.”

She said the Foundation “Condemns the Nigeria Medical Council for not living up to it expectations. It has not given families who lost their loved ones through medical negligence opportunity to have closure to their pain, they have their complaints buried on arrival at the tribunal. This is appalling.

“What has happened to the code of medical ethics? Has it become a code just in print? Have practitioners resolved to their own practice? This is what has prompted the establishment this Foundation.”

The Mahuemolen Aduke Odibo Foundation (MAOF) has commended Federal Government on recent passage of the Tertiary Hospital Development Fund Bill for rehabilitation, restoration and consolidation of tertiary healthcare in Nigeria.

With the passage, the bill is expected to provide and maintain infrastructure required for tertiary healthcare service delivery, health research, staff training and development across the country.

Founder and co-Chairman, MAOF, Cecilia Odibo, said this during the donation of medical oxygen, cylinders, and other items to the University of Lagos (UNILAG) medical centre.

She said the move has created a paradigm shift from the usual norm, whereby the Federal Government was solely responsible for the financing of tertiary health institutions up to the financial burden of taxes being imposed on certain bodies and companies.

Odibo, however, called for transparency and accountability in the management of funds when the bill is fully passed into law.

She said the inspiration for MAOF was to immortalise Mahuemolen Aduke Odibo, a very promising young lady and an undergraduate 400 level student of the faculty of law from UNILAG, whose life was cut short due to medical negligence, which was occasioned by lack of medical oxygen gas, suction machine and improper administration of professional care.

The MAOF founder, who alleged that nothing has been heard as her file has been buried, said: “Her case which should have been a watershed on negligence in Nigeria has been submerged into dust like other cases while the medical personnel that committed the evil act are left to walk freely, even change jobs, killing more innocent Nigerians through this same negligent acts that the Foundation speak against.”

In his speech, A United Kingdom based Consultant Gynaecologist, Prof. Rotimi Jaiyesimi, who spoke on the practice of medicine and safety of patients, urged that the Nigerian healthcare professional bodies, Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria and other regulators must step up to meet the objectives of the Legislative Acts setting them up to ensure Nigerian patients are kept safe and erring professionals receive the appropriate sanctions.

In her response, Head of the Nursing Unit, UNILAG Medical Centre, Haruna Vincent, commended the foundations on the initiative to move the healthcare system forward.

She said the gesture was timely, especially at fighting pandemic in the nation’s healthcare due to shortage of medical Oxygen.

Okwuego/Guardian