By Linus Aleke
As part of an effort to discourage medical tourism amongst serving and retired military personnel in Nigeria, the Federal Government has announced a plan to establish a world-class military hospital to cater to the health need of officers, soldiers, and veteran groups.
The Minister of Defence, Maj. Gen. Bashir Salihi Magashi (Retd), made this disclosure while declaring open the Needs Assessment and Strategic Review Project Kick-Off Workshop on Reforming Military Health Services in Nigeria.
He tasked participants to bring their expertise and patriotism to bear in this national assignment to relieve their nation and their people, from the burden of diseases, and achieve a better healthcare system.
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According to the minister, “My vision is to put in place mechanisms that will lead to the establishment of a World Class Military Hospital akin to Walter Reed Military Hospital in the USA that will successfully manage officers and soldiers injured in battle as well as provide serving personnel, veterans, their families, and indeed Nigerians quality healthcare services. I am soliciting for your support to set this noble project in motion even though I know accomplishing this during our time in the Ministry may be difficult but we look forward to being beneficiaries of this noble venture in the nearest future. We, therefore, need a coordinated and unified Armed Forces Healthcare delivery system to tackle our enormous challenges. The consequences of an uncoordinated system are grave. This workshop couldn’t have come at a better time than now and it is my genuine hope that this process would come up with patriotic and articulated recommendations for the Ministry and services consideration”.
Magashi said that under his leadership, the Ministry has resolved to review the Armed Forces Health System, identify gaps and reposition it to better serve Military personnel, veterans, and their families as well as the general public.
‘This workshop is coming at a time when we are witnessing a suboptimal performance of the Armed Forces Health System. The Armed Forces Health System is bedeviled with numerous challenges necessitating the need to engage a Consultant to carry out a Comprehensive Needs Assessment of the Armed Forces Health System,” he concluded.
