LAGOS—NO fewer than 5,000 patients have so far been treated under the Free Medical Treatment jointly sponsored by the Lagos State government and the Association of Nigerian Physicians in America (ANPA) even as Governor Bola Tinubu stressed the need for government at all levels to show more attention to health care system.
The governor made this call yesterday while addressing newsmen at Badagry, Lagos when he paid an assessment visit to a five-day free medical and surgical services jointly held by the state government and the ANPA.
Of the patients treated so far in Badagry since the commencement of the exercise on Monday about 850 have been given eye surgery, and about 400 have been given surgery involving fibroid, hernia, appendicitis and goitre.
According to Tinubu: “I want to use this medium to reach out to government at all levels to invest more in the provision of healthcare facilities and programmes aimed at meeting the health needs of the populace, especially the masses, who are less privileged.”
He stressed that all meaningful programmes of any government should be targeted at providing improved better living “providing health care services to the less privileged should not be based on the amount of money they have since life is more important than any other material things in life.”
While blaming corporate bodies of being major tax evaders, he noted that money realised from such taxes could have been used in assisting the government in providing adequate facilities to boost healthcare delivery in the state.
His words: “Our hospitals can be upgraded if they pay their tax. If you do not pay your tax, we cannot pay the doctors and put necessary facilities in place. Evading taxes is not the right thing to do. We have to subject ourselves to self-examination.”
The governor commended ANPA for their sacrifice to thousands of Lagos residents, adding that the medical experts had done their best to humanity by ensuring better health delivery to the affiliated patients.
In his words, the Badagry local government chairman, Mr. Tunde Alabi Hundeyin stated that the programme was a huge success saying “it came at the appropriate time when the people of the area needed a prompt medical attention.”
