The West African College of Physicians (WACP) has blamed governors for the woes bedeviling the country’s health sector. Rising from its 43rd annual general and scientific meeting of the Nigerian Chapter, in Ogun State, the body said state governments’ failure to fund the sector was the major challenge confronting it WACP’s Vice President, Abel Onunu, said both the state and local governments have abandoned the funding of the sector to the Federal Government.

He appealed to governors to allocate more funds and resources to develop the health system in rural communities, to facilitate healthcare service delivery to rural dwellers. Onunu also stressed the need for states to start employing more health personnel with good remuneration, to end the relocation of doctors abroad.

 

“The other major issue is that funding for training is not enough. Governments need to fund the post-graduate medical college. We also identified that there is a huge gap in health care governance. We need to put those facilities in place to strengthen healthcare governance in Nigeria,” he said.

 

Chairman, Board of Trustees, WACP, Aderonke Olumide said: “It is not surprising that the health system is as poor as it is, we have one of the poorest health statuses in the whole world and that is a disgrace knowing that health services in this country have been offered since colonial days.”