From Tosin Ajirire
With the inauguration of Wakamdo Health Industry Programme (WHIP), the challenges facing the country’s health sector including incessant doctors’ strike, medical tourism and migration of medical personnel, would soon be a thing of the past.
Wakamdo was launched recently in Abuja. Chairman/Group Chief Medical Director, Losi Clinic Group, Oba (Dr) Adedayo Olusino Adekoya, Legusen of Ode Ule, Remo North East LCDA, Ogun State, explained its concept: “Wakamdo will create employment opportunities, industrialise the health sector and contribute to the GDP and GNP of the country.
“There shall be a reversal of the direction of medical tourism at both the provider and receiver’s levels. All inputs will be made in Nigeria with 100 per cent local content except where such raw material is not available. The concept will also target 25 per cent GDP and 45 per cent GMP creating 25,654 jobs in Nigeria.
“The programme is geared towards redirecting the traffic of overseas treatment back to the country and returning Nigerian doctors abroad back home. With a yearly subscription of just N1,200, Wakamdo will guarantee every Nigerian all kinds of treatment including surgery.
“The concept is completely inzzzzzzzzzzzzdependent of government funding. It is built around pooling resources from subscriptions and generating more from the manufacture of its machines and equipment, as well as its export.
“The country is faced with challenges in the health sector because it is being run as a social service. Nigerian medical sector began as an enterprise and has to return to entrepreneurship. We should change our orientation, and that orientation change is what Wakamdo is all about.
“At a stage, we thought that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) would take care of all these things. It can never, because an insurance company is established to make money by collecting money from people on premium, not to treat people. The insurance man is not trained to treat people. It is the job of doctors, nurses and pharmacists.”
Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, represented by Donatus Shailong, said: “The Wakamdo concept will help address the issue of job creation, which is a major problem in Nigeria. Secondly, the initiative will go a long way in curbing medical tourism.
“Not only this, all the raw materials and equipment that will be used in manufacturing the Wakamdo drugs will be sourced locally. It is a wonderful initiative, which is in line with the Presidential Executive Order No. 5.”
Those who graced the event included Chief Tajudeen Osineye, Dr Samuel Oresanya, Chief Olugunna Oseni and Chief Idowu Awofeso. Others were Prof Sunday Onabunmi, Mr Sunday Olawoyin, Olori Oyeyemi Abiola, Princes Oriyomi Adekoya, Adesanya Adekoya and Babatope Adekoya.