Group laments deficiency in health sector, gathers petition online

AGROUP under the aegis Volunteers Connect Initiative, has bemoaned the deficiency in the health sector, therefore launching an online petition seeking signatures to force the federal Ministry of Health to resuscitate the sector.

The petition, obtained by The Guardian yesterday titled: ‘Call for Action On Nigeria Health System: Carelessness Of Our Medical Practitioners”, was opened after Kafayat Abdulaziz, a health advocate, died due to “carelessness of medical practitioners and unhealthy health system”.

A colleague of the deceased, Yusuf Yusuf, stated that Abdulaziz was diagnosed with pneumonia at Asokoro General Hospital. He noted that after the initial treatment, the deceased regained strength but her situation became worse the following day.

He said: “Painfully and regrettably, Kafayat would have been alive today, if her health was taken serious at Asokoro Hospital, Abuja. She would have survived, if those on duty treated her with every sense of emer- gency and urgency. While she was in emergency unit, her health was not taken as seriously as expected. Her family begged and cried but no empathy was shown.

“As expected, medical practitioners are humans and can make mistakes, but they cannot be exonerated when they take lives for granted. Access to proper treatment is a human right. Denying people treatment is an abuse of the rights of citizens. Lack of value for the life of a patient is violation of the rights of the patient,” he said.