Nigerian doctor popularly known as Dr Guendouzi on Twitter has shared his thoughts on the average cost of healthcare in Nigeria calling it “cheap” but skewed against the poor because the subsidy on health is only enjoyed by the rich who could have ordinary be able to afford it.
Please read his opinion on the cost of healthcare in Nigeria as shared on his verified handle on Twitter:
“Spoke with my friend yesterday on the unsustainable healthcare subsidy and pricing issue in Nigeria. We can’t ignore the fact that Nigeria in terms of value for money paid for healthcare, is offering the most for its citizens compared to other parts of Sub-Saharan Africa.
A GP consultation with limited number of hours in UCH costs less that $3, seeing a consultant in UCH on the average costs N2,000 = $6 at the point of use. Please show me any country in Africa, America, Asia and Europe that charges these fees to see the calibre of specialist we have.
When you go to a govt hospital in Nigeria, have it at the back of your mind that the govt is paying for the consultation on your behalf and also giving you up to 400% subsidy. Each time you visit a govt hospital, the govt is simply giving you money to pay for your healthcare.
The same consultant you see in a govt hospital where you pay N2,000 will charge you N20,000 in a clinic opposite UCH. That is what he is worth, that is the value of his service. We are not the poorest nation in the world and by nominal GDP we are 27th in the world.
The main issue is that we harbour a lot of people who have become parasitic, feeding off the govt, starving it of funds and killing it at all levels. We have lots of poor people, 80m Nigerians by estimate, these people aren’t the parasites. The remaining 100m are!
They are the people who drink beer, pay for cable TV, pay for internet, buy the latest phones, pay tithe and offerings, buy aso ebi, spray musicians, gamble, kill ram and turkey for sallah and Xmas, buy clothes but will not pay according to their ability for healthcare.
The poor people in the rural communities don’t consume up to 10% of the healthcare services at UCH and other institutions. We don’t want the govt to increase cost, we don’t want health taxes, we don’t want VAT, we don’t want health insurance but we want quality healthcare.
They throw all sorts of arrows at the govt, they want miracles. If we are subsidising the vulnerable, let us stick to that. There is no sense in giving out subsidies to people who spend more on other services. We are subsidising the rich and neglecting the vulnerable.
Before you criticize Nigeria’s healthcare system, lack of equipment, poor remuneration of health workers, poor infrastructure and all, take your time to download price list across all African countries then ask yourself if you are paying the true value of the services received.
Same issue with Tertiary Education which I wrote about. Cumulatively, I became a doctor with less than $500 – N150,000. Never in my life should I wake up and say Nigeria is useless. If not for subsidy on tertiary education, my parents would have sold properties to train me.
VAT – one of lowest globally
Petrol prices – one of the cheapest
Electricity – cheapest
Healthcare – one of the cheapest
Tertiary Education fees – one of the cheapest
Tax to GDP – lowest
What else do we expect from the govt?
To give us food daily?”
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