Wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, has appealed to private medical institutions in Nigeria to reduce the high cost of their services in the country.Mrs. Buhari made the appeal when the officials of the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria visited her Wednesday in her office at the State House, Abuja.
She observed that many Nigerians who do not have access to public health services resort to private hospitals which are very expensive and this has implications on not just the patients but the nation’s health indices. She said, “Private health care is expensive, your association needs to revisit the issue of charges” she called on practitioners to “make treatments affordable so that more people can access your services and health outcomes can improve.”
The First Lady lamented the brain drain in the health sector, saying people travel abroad mostly to be treated by Nigerian practitioners. She called for better working conditions for them so that they are encouraged to remain in Nigeria.