HOW AFRICAN COUNTRIES CAN MAKE PUBLIC HEALTHCARE WORK BETTER, Dr. Elliott Omose, Chairman & CEO, Elkris Group

The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Elkris Group, Dr. Elliott Scott Omose, has observed that public healthcare management in most African countries remained poor and ineffective due to the faulty service delivery model and structure that governments and decision makers adopt. 

He said for the teeming poor and vulnerable population in the continent to really enjoy accessible public healthcare, the current structural loophole with universal health coverage in Africa with the glaring absence of Basic, Accessible and Affordable (BAA) healthcare at primary level must be fixed.

Dr. Omose, who is also the Founder of PreDiagnosis International, an innovative public healthcare management non-profit organisation with footholds in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Gambia and a few other African Countries, spoke with media correspondents in Lagos, Nigeria over the weekend. He said Africa remained poor in terms of provision of Universal health coverage which, according to the United Nations, “means that all people have access to the full range of quality health services they need, when they need them and where they need them, without incurring financial hardship”.

Dr. Omose further reminded the continent’s leaders and governments that, “The United Nations General Assembly High Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage in 2019 strongly restated that Health is a precondition, outcome and indicator for social, economic and environmental dimensions of UN’s 2030 sustainable development goal”.

 “In Africa today, primary healthcare is non-existent as soon as you start to move away from the capital cities because research across the continent reveals an unhealthy pattern whereby pharmacies and local drugs stores have been adopted as grassroots (primary) healthcare point by close to 70% of the vulnerable population in the continent“In rural Africa, a patient may never get to see or sit before a doctor more than five times in his or her life-time. And that is usually as a result of some intervention outreach by an NGO. For the rest of their lives, they are left at the mercy of pharmacy attendants and quacks as the only alternative to a GP”, he noted.

 Continuing, Dr. Omose also stated that, “Across the continent, the general hospitals and teaching hospitals are continually overwhelmed because most of the available qualified doctors are concentrated in urban cities and towns while the rural areas have next to nothing, thereby leaving room for self-medication and also for quacks and other unqualified hands to tend citizens’ health needs in the rural, hard to reach areas“So, most Public Health Centres, especially in rural areas, rot away due to lack of capable personnel to man them. Moreover, before the vulnerable class make it to those facilities because of the huge infrastructure deficit, majority of their cases are already beyond help”.

He therefore called on governments across the continent to re-envision primary healthcare management approach in order for citizens to derive maximum expected value from the resources and funds expended annually on provision of primary healthcare.

“There is an urgent need to embrace a more innovative model of primary health delivery with grassroots-focused universal health coverage structure that is customized to suit the peculiarities of the African terrain. Only this way can we begin to show seriousness in the attempt to try to bridge the terribly widening gap between the teaming vulnerable population and access to affordable basic (primary) healthcare”

Restating his readiness to assist, Dr. Omose submitted that PDI has developed and put to work a workable model for Essential Health Services which offers subsidized, affordable and accessible basic universal health coverage for rural and hard to reach areas of Africa. 

“As part of our contributions to help our continent overcome this unacceptable situation we find ourselves currently, in 2020, we introduced, in Nigeria, the PDI Basic Universal Healthcare model which has the ‘PDI 25-point Early Detection System’ as its strategic core. Early this year, we also introduced in Sierra Leone the PDI blue-print for a nationwide Basic (Primary) Healthcare Initiative which goes under the name of Community Basic (Primary) Healthcare Clinic– CBHC. 

CBN Deputy Governor, Aishah Ahmad not under arrest

Sources close to the Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Aisha Ahmad have denied insinuations in some quarters that she is under arrest

 In light of the ongoing investigation  into the activities of the Godwin Emefiele led  Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as instructed by President Tinubu,  all senior officials of the Central bank have been interrogated by the DSS and the appointed special investigator. The deputy governors are not exempt from this exercise and have all been called upon to provide essential information at different points in time. It is important to emphasize that this is standard procedure aimed at assisting the ongoing probe.

 In a phone conversation with a close family member of the deputy governor FSS who is not authorised to speak on this matter, it was confirmed and clarified that the Deputy Governor is safe and sound. "I wish to reassure everyone that Aishah Ahmad is home with her family and not detained by the DSS, she is safe and sound."

 In these times, it is essential to maintain clarity and rely on verified information only. Mrs. Ahmad's cooperation with the authorities is a demonstration of her commitment to transparency and due process. It is crucial that the public exercise discretion when evaluating news reports and avoid engaging with unfounded rumors or misinformation.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) plays a vital role in the nation's economic stability, and it is imperative that the investigative process is allowed to run its course.

CBN investigations, alleged financial crimes and smear campaigns!

Twitter has been agog of recent with allegations and counter allegations of alleged financial crimes by the senior echelon of the Central Bank of Nigeria. This is all a fallout of the ongoing investigations by the DSS and a special investigator to probe the CBN under Godwin Emefiele as ordered by President Tinubu. Obviously this will mean  deep probe into most if not all activites as carried out by the officials of the bank in the regular course of their work. What I however find most intriguing is the smear campaigns. It would seem we humans are our own worst enemy! Social media armies have now taken over the blogosphere with claims and counter claims. Firstly, when the DG Economic policy, Kingsley Obiora was detained for investigation an army in his defence began to claim as the only Economist on the team his detention was tribal ..afterall as they claimed the other Deputy Governors were less qualified as if this also absolves him or them of any infractions! It has now become a game of who can whip up the most sentiment from the court of public opinion. Characteristically, the less discerning take all information hook, line and sinker, when infact what is happening is an adherence to a presidential order to INVESTIGATE the bank as a whole. 

The most recent obviously sponsored tweets to tarnish DG Aishah Ahmad, the youngest and only female DG would be shocking if it wasn’t so false…Aishah Ahmad, a well educated,  renowned and reputable banker of sound pedigree has only been known for her professionalism from many years leading several institutions...why would leading at the Central bank be any different.  It is the guilty that are fighting so hard to divert attention from themselves that are afraid! Treat this smear campaign as the falsity that it is. Let the authorities do their work. #stoptheliesaboutAishah