The worsening situation of life for rural dwellers and the high cost of basic drugs to treat common ailments, such as cold, malaria, cough and catarrh in the country, has become very alarming and clearly demands the attention of both the Executive and Legislative arms of the government. The situation is made worse by the current recession, shortage of foreign exchange to import medicaments and the inability of government to make the services of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency available to the masses.
As if that is not enough, the Import Adjustment Tax which re-introduced 20 per cent tax on imported drugs in the pharmaceutical sector, as against 5 per cent recommended by the World Trade Organisation in 1988, has added a deadly blow to the daily afflictions of the masses as they strive to meet their daily needs of life. These extra costs in meeting the health needs of the people have contravened President Muhammadu’s Buhari’s pledge to reduce the out-of-pocket expenses of the masses to the lowest level as against the current 30-40 per cent mark.
Some of us who use daily medications to contain one ailment or other, (like my neighbour who is on dialysis), are in dire straights and this is contrary to the avowed commitment of the Buhari administration to reverse this unsatisfactory situation and provide better care for the poor and needy. With the recent policy reversal, combined with the negative effect of devalued naira and high exchange rate, the suffering of the masses would double and further complicate their health challenges.
Most of the primary healthcare centres in the country are not functional. They lack qualified health officials and suffer from out-of-stock drug syndrome.
The rural dwellers, who manage to access the reptile-infested health centres come back home with sad tales of disappointments that add to their health challenges in addition to their current privation and socio-economic woes.
It is therefore only logical to appeal to President Buhari to urgently review the unwholesome policy on Import Adjustment Tax and for the Health Minister, Prof. Isaac Adewole, to resuscitate these health centres, stock them with drugs, personnel and basic infrastructure and truly bring to pass the change mantra of the present administration, and make life bearable for the common man.
► Jackson Uzoubi wrote from Jos, Plateau State