COVID-19: Nigerian Healthcare Sector Requires Massive Overhauling -Lagos Lawmaker, Bisi Yusuff

 

Nigerian governments at all levels have been urged to focus more on the healthcare sector so that the nation would not be caught unaware in the event of another serious health challenge as it happened with COVID-19 Pandemic.

A lawmaker in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Bisi Yusuff, representing Alimosho Constituency 1, who spoke to journalists on Saturday during the celebration of his birthday stated that the nation's

 healthcare system must be overhauled, and that governments at all levels must convert the crucial isolation centres to health care outfits.

"Based on what has happened, you will know that the Coronavirus Pandemic has given us a very important reason to re-examine our healthcare sector as it is nothing to write home about. 

"Thank God for the kind of Governor that God has given us in the Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu. You can only know a personality by situation, situation defines the person you are. He has been very proactive. 

"The whole world would not believe that Lagos State could still be like this after the Pandemic. 

"We also have to give kudos to the Lagos State House of Assembly, especially Mr. Speaker, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa for given the Governor the opportunity to operate freely. In the beginning, we gave him N20 Billion to fight COVID-19," he said. 

 

The politician, who usually organises massive healthcare programme across the six local governments in Alimosho during his birthday annually, stated that the programme was cancelled this year due to the outbreak of Coronavirus.

He however, promised that the event would be bigger next year and that many people would benefit from the programme.

The lawmaker  appreciated God Almighty, who he said has given him opportunity for existence, saying that without Him there was no way for he could be alive to celebrate.

"I have to recognise what God has done for me. He has given me good health and I have to thank Him for that. 

"My birthday has always been used to give healthcare to my people and remove difficulty, and health challenges from them. 

"It gives me joy that there is no single day that you will not see two, three or four people that have benefitted from my healthcare programme praying vehemently for me and my family. 

"It gives me energy and inspires me to do more. You don't need to be a politician or anybody to do this. Your impact on the people is very important. The quantum of money you have in the bank is useless if you don't use it to help the people. I have been able to see what would be my legacy," he said.

He said further that the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly and the other lawmakers in the Assembly have boost the health sector with a lot of funds. 

According to him, Lagos State is the best in healthcare in Nigeria and that people normally refer any complicated health issue to Lagos. 

"You can imagine the people that came to Lagos for this Pandemic and God healed them. We are not magicians, it is just planning and we plan to do more," he said.

The lawmaker, who said that he had no regret in life, advised that as Nigeria is celebrating 60th Independence Anniversary, the nation should not think of disintegrating, but that the country should rather focus on financial restructuring.

"I am not for disintegration, but I am for restructuring. I am talking of financial restructuring. 

"I am not talking of the United States of America, their capacity is their strength. Why don't we use our capacity to be our strength. Why are we talking about disintegration. The important thing is the leadership, when you have a politically good person, we will move forward," he said.