One of Nigeria’s beloved goalkeepers, Peter Rufai died last week. His death, to most Nigerians, was sudden and shocking, especially when the cause death was not revealed by his family.
A few days ago, a video of him, during a radio program live interview began to circulate on social media, as shared herein. You can see from the video that late Rufai faced a lot terminal illness. (unconfirmed reports say he died from heart disease). We may never know what terminal illness he faced: we are left to speculate, seeing his appearance, that he might have suffered from severe diabetes with irregular treatments, or certain cancer illness.
Mr. Rufai’s video, sadly turns the focus to our terrible and unaffordable healthcare system in Nigeria. Our politicians continue to disregard our healthcare system. The few functional healthcare are unaffordable for the middle and no class in our society.
The Nigerian government allocates a significant amount to the Ministry of Health each year, but the impact is not felt by many. The country’s healthcare expenditure is mostly dominated by out-of-pocket payments, which can be catastrophic for households. In 2023, Nigeria lost approximately N7.2 trillion to healthcare-associated infections, highlighting the need for improved healthcare infrastructure.
The government deliberately refuses to provide universal healthcare for Nigerians. It would rather purchase private jets and vehicles than provide functional and affordable universal healthcare for citizens. Every years, monumental sums of money are allocated to the Ministry of Health from the nation’s budget. Please what has been done with the budgets?
Please my people, try to take care of yourselves. Do not wait for government health check handouts before you go check yourselves for diabetes and also for regular medical checks. May Peter Rufai’s soul be granted eternal rest.
