Doctors showing “empathy” to patients might help stop the increasing number of Nigerians health treatment overseas, says first lady Patience Jonathan.

 
Health worker empathy could keep patients in Nigeria

Doctors showing “empathy” to patients might help stop the increasing number of Nigerians health treatment overseas, says first lady Patience Jonathan.

The first lady said doctors should make “hospitals conducive by extending empathy”—and handling patients with concern.

“If we show this, patients will be satisfied with quality of care in our hospitals, thus reducing what is now called medical tourism,” she observed.

Speaking at this year’s annual general meeting of Nigeria Medical Association in Abuja, the first lady noted that finance for health care, which formed the crux of NMA’s meeting, was critical to health status in the country.

Paying for health care

At least 70% of health care costs are paid out of pocket, according to Abdulrahman Sambo, executive director of National Health Insurance Scheme.

In a guest lecture, Sambo said affordable health insurance was still a challenge for the informal sector—where it is difficult to gauge incomes and determine corresponding health cover.

Only around 2.4 million people are enrolled in the government’s social health insurance, but effective implementation of the scheme has been beset by problems with distribution, said Sambo.

The distribution means nearly none of the 1,800 providers enrolled in the scheme have more than 500 clients.

“The fewer the number, the lower the capitation [pegged at N750 a head every month] they receive from NHIS,” Sambo explained.

A way to pay

Health minister Onyebuchi Chukwu, who launched the country’s community health insurance scheme in Kogi state last December, said the scheme was the only way government could guarantee that professional care would be affordable for every citizen.

He suggested constitutional amendment to back possible siting of health facilities every 5km throughout the country.

The spread of health facilities of any calibre would ensure young health workers stop drifting to big cities in search of higher income earning citizens who can pay for their services to the detriment of low income Nigerians, the minister said.

Dealing with disease

The minister announced plans to site seven more diagnostic centres for Lassa fever—in addition to two existing ones in Lagos and Irrua.

Outbreaks of the fever this year have so far surpassed records from previous years, causing many deaths and serious hospitalisation.

The minister said diagnosis and careful prevention were key to combating the disease.

Meanwhile, Chukwu warned that use of strikes as a weapon by health workers was “being abused”, describing it as “disruptive.”

He noted that professional need to care raised responsibility on physicians to be “patient” when they have “grievances.”