The candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Godwin Obaseki and that of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Osagie Ize-Iyamu attended the forum. The state NMA chairman, Dr. Emmanuel Osaigbovo, urged them to revive the state's healthcare delivery if elected. 

 

Osaigbovo, who noted that the medical doctors in the state are over- burdened with multiple taxes, tasked the eventual winner to address the obnoxious tax policy of the state.  He said: "It is a major chal-lenge facing practicing medical doctors in the state." 

 

Both Obaseki and Izelyamu promised to address the poor state of healthcare in the state, noting that the sector is critical to the development of the state. Obaseki said there is the need to improve on the human capacity development in the sector to end medical tourism and brain drain in the health sector. 

 

He promised that if elected, he would fasttrack a rapid healthcare develop-ment across the state's owned hospitals and improve the welfare of doctors, by putting incentives and standards in place.  Obaseki said: "We have refurbished all our general hospitals across the state. As a country, we need a redesign of our healthcare system. We have refurbished the hospitals, but we need to recruit more doctors."