Health minister to politicians: Invest in health, win 2019 polls

. Explains why FG is upgrading 7 teaching hospitals
Minister of health, Professor Isaac Adewole, has given a rare advice to politicians on how to win popular votes from Nigerians ahead of 2019 general election.

Adewole, who spoke during an exclusive interview with The Daily Times on Tuesday night, stated that any politician that invests in health services will surely garner more votes than his opponents.

According to him, investment in health is tangible, down to earth and visible unlike other interventions in infrastructure in which controversy reign supreme.

The Minister further advised serving governors seeking re-election and governorship hopefuls to go to the grassroots or their local governments to invest in health, saying that the development will be the deciding factor during the forthcoming 2019 general election.

He added that there is the need for politicians or governors to build befitting Primary Healthcare Centres in their local governments as a way of bringing quality and affordable healthcare services to their people.

Adewole, the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, stated that once these activities are put in place by those seeking political office, they would surely win the forthcoming general election.

He said: “Many of the health interventions, the return on investment is huge. When you invest one Dollar in TB control, the return on investment is over $40. When you immunized a child with one dollar, the return on investment is over $16, so health is an investment and universal health coverage is a win-win. Apart from providing political stability, it is a win-win.

“When you need votes, in fact, you do not have to ask people to give them money, they have already appreciated what you have done.

“That is why I have told some of our governors, if you invest in health, you will get free votes in 2019, people would vote for you”.

When asked why he was giving this advice to those seeking for votes in 2019, Adewole said: “The people are not foolish. If you invest in roads, houses, they say, oh because you are taking 10 percent but when you invest in their health, they won’t say that to you. So it’s a political win-win.

The health minister further spoke on the Federal Government’s decision to upgrade seven tertiary medical centres and teaching hospitals in the six- geo political zones and Abuja.

According to him, the development will reduce the menace of cancer, cardiac arrest and kidney failure which are now rampant in Nigeria.

Adewole added that the measure would also curtail medical tourism and conserve scarce foreign exchange which is now depleting Nigeria’s foreign reserves.

He said: “The situation of the tertiary hospitals (medical centres and teaching hospitals) would change this year, and we are committed to renovating them in a phased manner.

“This year, we want to start with at least seven as we have identified the seven tertiary medical centres and teaching hospitals. One in each of the six-geo political zones of the country. We are picking ABU in North West, University Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri in North East, University of Ilorin in North Central, University of Benin in South-South, University of Ibadan in South West and UNTH Enugu in South East as well as the National Hospital Abuja.

“We would partner with them to upgrade their ability to treat three major diseases- Cancer, Heart, and Kidney and those are the three major problems that take Nigerians out of the country.

“We have looked at our data, over the last three months, I have tried to assess the causes of death. Number one is cancer, number two is kidney problem and number three is cardiac arrest. When we upgrade these hospitals, we would concentrate on treatment of cancer, cardiac arrest and renal failure.”