Scientist decries persistent lack of bed spaces in public hospitals
A Medical Imaging Scientist, Dr Livinus Abonyi, has decried the persistent lack of bed spaces in public hospitals, calling on government at all levels to prioritise budget/resources allocation to the nation’s health sector.
Abonyi, the Head, Radiography Department, Lagos College of Medicine, made the call in an interview with newsmen on Thursday in Lagos.
He spoke in commemoration of Nigeria’s 65th Independence Day Celebration.
Abonyi described the persistent limited bed spaces across public health facilities in the country as “worrisome”, calling for urgent action to address the situation.
He lamented that the problem of limited bed space had led to loss of many lives, which would have been saved by urgent medical attention.
“It calls for serious concern that a person under a critical emergency health condition is rushed to a public health facility and the patient will not be admitted/attended due to lack of bed space.
“There is still the possibility of the same “no bed-space” in the next two other public hospitals where the patient might be referred to.
“Many preventable deaths have occurred during the process of moving patients from one hospital to the other seeking for where there is bed space.
“The situation is as bad as that. Why is there always no bed space in public health institutions?,” Abonyi asked.
The scientist urged the Federal Government to intensify efforts to increase resources to public health facilities to help in the procurement of equipment, materials, working tools and overall maintenance of the hospitals.
According to him, if the government should make it a point of duty to be providing at least 5,000 bed spaces annually, sooner than later, the shortage of bed-spaces in public health institutions will a thing of the past.
“The public health institutions need to be put in the right shape; making them to be up and running at all times.
“If the government should make it a point of duty to be providing at least 5,000 bed spaces every year; within a short time, the shortage of bed spaces in public health institutions will become a forgotten issue.
“And it’s a matter of good leadership better management for these to be achieved,” he said.
Abonyi, who frowned at the rate at which health practitioners were leaving the country to practice abroad, urged the government to do everything possible to halt the trend.
According to him, the migration translates to severe lack of manpower in the health institutions, loss of lives and much workloads on the few available health practitioners.
He emphasised the need for the government to improve and prioritise welfare of the health workers, listing provision of medical equipment/materials , building of more health facilities as other areas that the government should intervene.
