Magnetic resonance imaging is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body.

Speaking in a live programme on Nigeria Info Morning Crossfire on Thursday, Dr. Ojebo said that, in general, there is infrastructural decay in the health sector.

“We are saying there is infrastructural decay in the health system; the hospitals are nothing to write home about.

Ojebo recalled the Abuja Declaration of April 2001, where the African Union countries met and pledged to set a target of allocating at least 15 percent of their annual budget to improve the health sector and urged donor countries to scale up support.

In August 2011, the World Health Organisation reported that, “Years later, only one African country reached this target.

“Twenty-six countries had increased the proportion of government expenditures allocated to health and 11 had reduced it. In the remaining nine countries, there was no obvious trend up or down. Current donor spending varies dramatically,” WHO stated.

Speaking on the issue, Ojebo said, “The Abuja Declaration of 15 percent for the health sector has not been met, they keep accruing all this money for things that can do nothing.

“Government is putting $1.5bn into a moribund refinery. If they put $1.5bn into six tertiary health institutions across the six geopolitical zones, we will have good health facilities in the country.”

Speaking further, he said, “Abuja has three major tertiary health institutions, not one of them has a functional MRI that is working; the only outfit that has MRI facility is the National Hospital and it’s still a private partnership.

“It means it’s still a private investment. If you’re not ready to take care of the health of your people, let us know.

“Look at India, it exports doctors to the US, Canada, and the UK; but look at their health system. Africans are trooping to India. Why are they trooping there?

“The problem is not that you do not have the manpower to do that, we have fantastic doctors! But why are we still suffering? It’s because the wherewithal to work is not there.

“How many persons can afford a minimally invasive surgery in the private institution when there is no invasive surgery that can be done in the public health institutions?

“It’s the same doctors that you do not want to give this equipment to in the public sectors that are having them in the private sectors. if you put your money where your mouth is, you will get good quality health care delivery.”

source: Punch