Senator Shehu Sani, has reacted to the alleged claims by the Federal Government that it has spent over N30billion naira on tackling the coronavirus pandemic. He said for the Federal Government to have been alleged to have spent such a huge amount and leaving out health workers,clearly shows that medical tourism is a serious threat to national health care system in the country.
Senator Shehu Sani who represented the Kaduna Central Senatorial District on the platform of the All Progressive Congress in the 8th Assembly, taking to his official Twitter handle on Tuesday 15th September 2020, said the amount spent is unjustifiable as the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) embarks on a nationwide strike. He said:
It’s unjustifiable that over 30 Billion was reportedly spent on Covid-19 and our Health workers were left out, that has now led to a JOHESU strike.No lessons learned from the pandemic. Medical tourism is a serious threat to our national health care system,” he said.
A few weeks ago, the Federal Government giving an update on the coronavirus pandemic, had disclosed that it “spent N30,540,563,571.09, representing 84% of the N36.3 billion public funds and donations received to respond to COVID-19 between 1st April 2020 and 31st July 2020, leaving the balance of N5.9 billion.
The Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, had stated this in response to the Freedom of Information request dated August 10, 2020, and sent to him by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and Connected Development (CODE), but state governors are yet to publish how all the funds they got from the Federal Government and private individuals was utilised to fight the pandemic.
On their part, the Joint Health Sector Unions said they decided to call their members out on strike because of the Federal Government’s inability to meet their demands. These include the need to fix structural and infrastructural decay, payment of health workers’ hazard and inducement allowance, among others.
The Unions decided to embark on strike after a deadlocked meeting with the Federal Government.
JOHESU is the umbrella body of health workers’ unions and associations, including the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria, Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals, National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, Non-Academic Staff of Educational and Associated Institutions, and Senior Staff Association of Universities’ Teaching Hospitals Research Institutes and Associated Institutions.