My wife, Clara was wrongly diagnosed, says Oshiomhole

National chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole former Head of State,General Yakubu Gowon (rtd) and several other dignitaries yesterday lamented the state of health sector of the country with Oshiomhole calling for a review of Nigeria’s medical system so that doctors treat patients only in that aspect in which they have competence.

Oshiomhole said wrong diagnoses could be prevented by governments if it provide robust regulation on the health system. Speaking at the Founders Day and Launching of Endowment fund of the University of Bénin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Oshiomhole said his late wife, Clara, died of wrong diagnoses. Comrade Oshiomhole said, “You visit a hospital, one doctor is gynecologist, psychologist, pediatric, and the doctor treats everything. My wife was unfortunate to have been diagnosed as having something different while the cancer in her breast was growing.

“This generalized system of medical system is what we must review. It is not the task of government that things are not working. People elect government to make things work. That was why I decided to build what I called Five Star hospital to replace the decayed Central Hospital. I do hope that one day that hospital will open and you will see the equipment. “One thing we need to do is appropriate compensation. When we have the right policy framework, the other level of compensation, people are paid according to, I believe doctors working outside the country will come back.” On his part Gowon hailed late Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia and late Prof. T Bello-Osagie for ensuring local people get access to tertiary health services instead of traveling to Lagos or Ibadan. General Gowon expressed joy that the UBTH has served the people well.

He said, “In terms of training and research, the UBTH has performed excellently well in collaboration with UNIBEN. Minister of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire. commended the UBTH management for conceiving the endowment fund. Dr. Ehanire challenged Nigeria hospitals to aim higher and compete for excellence internationally. Ehanire noted that the problems in hospitals in the country were not due to lack of equipment or expertise but a challenge of trust. His words, “Improvement is urgently needed in all aspect from environmental upgrade to tip-top house keeping; from prompt and polite attention to patients at first point of call especially registration. “It goes simply pumping more and more money into operations. It requires rededicating yourselves to fight wastage, leakage and damage; to better optimization of resources and assets.”