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Why Governor Okorocha should privatize the proposed General Hospitals.

Gov. Okorocha’s unequivocal determination to improve the status of Imo remains indisputable to all right and progressive minded citizens of this great State; his undaunted passion and achievements so far in office, even his pedigree before throwing his hat into politics, are so vivid to all and sundry. Hence, I have no iota of doubt to say “Owelle ndi Igbo jisi ike n’oru”.

After reading the entails of this publication “The 27 New General Hospitals to be completed by mid 2013- Gov. Okorocha” on IMO STATE BLOG, I took a seat and critically analyzed “not how this administration will erect the proposed hospitals; rather, how and where the needed funds to stave these hospitals to international standards emanate, as well as what will become of these hospitals, considering the non-chalant attitude to maintenance, post-Okorocha administration should Tsunami Rochas pulls off this difficult but possible promise?”

There is no apology stating that almost all the nooks and crannies of this nation, Imo State not exonerated, are littered with either yet to be completed government projects or monumental projects abandoned to decay because of our inherent poor maintenance attributes complicated by the broad day light embezzlement with impunity of funds allotted for completion or maintenance of these government owned projects by backdoor politicians and their godfathers. Conversely, Owelle, so far, has proven to be neither a backdoor politician nor a puppet controlled from a mansion located somewhere within or outside the State.

Governor Rochas through his privatization drive has exhibited he is in tune with 21^st Century’s master strategy for economic growth and sustainability- Private sector empowerment and involvement in economy, hence, determined to expunge the plague of poor project maintenance at least in our State. Today’s success story of Telecommunication Company in Nigeria and our own Adapalm in Imo since their privatization by the Federal Government and the current Imo State government respectively has affirmed that involvement of the private sector into an economy is “THE BEST” way to stave up an economy, as well as tackle the jinx of nonchalance in project maintenance. I consider privatization as “THE BEST” way because not only does it provide the citizens with ample options, it also promotes competition amongst commodity providers, thereby, forcing them to constantly seek ways to improve either to retain subscribers or to attract new ones.

Keeping this mantra: Private sector empowerment and involvement in economy, in mind, it will never be odd for the Okorocha-led administration to consider transparent privatization of some or most of the proposed General hospitals when completed to adroit personalities preferably companies or individuals with advanced medical know-how. This single act if devoid of political clouds and prejudice will:

Yield huge financial returns to the government both from the sales and tax returns.
Enshrine vigorous competition in health sector in Imo State, hence, giving the citizens options and forcing the various hospitalowners to seek ways to upgrade their institutions in all ramifications.
It will reduce the burden on the government as related to provision and maintenance of healthcare physical structures and other structures needed to sustain these 27 hospitals if they were to remain under the control of the State government.
It will give the government space to formulate regulations that bind the operations of these privately owned hospitals as it relates optimum healthcare provision and other needed operation, hence, enhancing the State’s healthcare provision status.
It will abrogate bureaucracy in operations and nonchalance to project maintenance and of employees’ service delivery that issynonymous with government own institutions.

The benefits of privatizing these hospitals as opposed to retaining them under the control of the State government abounds. Rejection of this idea when it has proven time and time again to be “THE BEST” method in tackling the rot and negligence of government owned investments in our society will definitely be the beginning of the end of Okorocha’s passionate dream to print an indelible legacy in Imo State’s health care sector that is fighting its survival.

WRITTEN BY: Austin Onuoha, RN

7 Responses to "Why Governor Okorocha should privatize the proposed General Hospitals."

SAMUEL says:

August 14, 2012 at 10:07 AM

TELL THEM TELL THEM TELL THEM TO LEAVE ROCHAS ALONE TO SAVE THIS STATE WHICH THE FEW OPPORTUNE ONCE (FEW EDUCATED CRIMINALS, BARRISTER, DOCTOR POLITICALLY OPPORTUNED CONTRACTORS )WANT SUFFOCATE 75% OF INOPPORTUNE IMOLITES TO A GRADUAL EXTINCTION FOR OVER THIRTY YEARS. SOME OF THIS CRIMINALS ARE LEAVING IN LAGOS, UK, USA, SOUTH AFRICA, STILL DRAW THE BLOOD OF THE MANY LEAVING IN IMO STATE AND ITS RURAL ENVIRON IN PRETENCE OF CONSIGNED CITIZENS.

IMO MUST BE BETTER.

Reply
Anonymous says:

August 14, 2012 at 10:28 AM

TELL THEM, TELL THEM,AND TELL THEM TO LEAVE ROCHAS ALONE TO SAVE THIS STATE WHICH THE FEW OPPORTUNE HAWKS (FEW EDUCATED CRIMINALS, BARRISTER, DOCTORS, POLITICALLY OPPORTUNE CONTRACTORS)WANT TO SUFFOCATE 75% OF INOPPORTUNE IMOLITES TO A GRADUAL EXTINCTION FOR OVER THIRTY YEARS.SOME OF THIS CRIMINALS ARE NOT EVEN LEAVING IN THE STATE SOME ARE IN ABUJA, LAGOS, UK,USA,GHANA AND STILL DRAW THE BLOOD OF THE MANY LEAVING IN IMO STATE AND ITS RURAL ENVIRON THROUGH THEIR AGENTS IN THE STATE WITH PRETENCE OF CONSIGNED CITIZENS.

ROCHAS CLOSE YOUR EARS AND MOVE ON TIME WILL JUDGE THEM ALL.

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chuks says:

August 14, 2012 at 4:59 PM

I read comments by people on this blog on a daily basis. Some comments are really very productive as it can spur the Governor to change his strategy while most of it is uncalled for.
I think in the whole sense of massive infrastructure will lead to creation of wealth at long run. For example the health sector in Imo state. We have more than five schools of nursing in the state which turn out student nurses each year and these nurses ends up in most private and some quark hospitals for practicing and their salaries are nothing to write home about.
How many nurses can a general hospital employ? Come to think of it, how many nurses can 27 general hospitals can employ? In the other way round, how many of our doctor sons can be employed in these hospital assuming these project where to come to lime light.
I think what we should be concerned here is how he is going to do it with the limited funds at his disposal. When we begin to argue in this direction, we expect the Governor to come out and present to the people his plans to execute theses projects in record time. Having said that, I want to agree with some critics on the number of project chosen by this administration as being way too many that people begin to think that either the Governor is lying to us or there is something fundamentally wrong with him. The answers to all this will only come when we critically challenge the Governor on how he want to fund these project rather being very myopic about what posterity hold for us if he is able to pull these off.
He wants to build new universities, no problem with that but the question remains how he is going to achieve this margin. If he is able to do it, that we make a whole lots of sense because of the massive employment it will generate and the development of the host communities and its environs as well. We should channel our energy towards how he wants to achieve all these monumental loads of infrastructure miracle.

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Chibueze Ebere says:

August 14, 2012 at 6:50 PM

I am not convinced that there is a framework for the privatization process. There is no evidence that the firm selected to run the 11 hospitals went through a rigorous process. The outcome of the move to privatize Concorde, adapalm, avutu poultry, oguta lake, the civil service, IMSU, etc will be similar to that of the hospital privatization. It will fail or be shrouded with controversy because it wasn’t properly thought-through, developed, and executed.

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Mbama says:

August 14, 2012 at 7:13 PM

These days Nigerians fly to India for medical attention because India paid much attention to both primary and tertiary health care matters. Communities in Imo state are not too far from one another as the state has a relatively small land mass.
It would have paid Imo state better if it concentrates on enlarging, equipping and retaining qualified staff in its university teaching hospital, as well as establishing three other smaller but relatively equipped hospitals in the three senatorial zones. The LGAS could then have consulting clinics with say a doctor and other small number of staff in attendance. Serious health cases can be referred from the consulting clinics upward to the tertiary level. This is how it is done in Western societies. Managing 27 local hospitals may eventually turn out to be problematic and liabilities to the state government.

Reply
TRUTH says:

August 14, 2012 at 9:53 PM

ROCHAS NEEDS DELIVERANCE,CAN SOMEONE HELP?THE MOST UNINTELLIGENT AND CONF– — USE GOVERNOR IN NIGERIA WITH WRONG CABINET

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OZARA says:

August 15, 2012 at 7:10 PM

TRUTH, YOU ‘RE CORRECT, ROCHAS IS CONF– — USE AND DON’T HAVE GOOD CABINETS.
IMOLITES OPEN YOUR EYES BEFORE IS TOO LATE.JUST GO TO UMUGUMA SPECIALIST HOSPITAL AND FIND OUT WHAT IS GOING ON THERE,ROCHAS SHOULD RETURN IT TO THE STATE GOVERMENT AND NOT TO HIS FRIENDS LIKE DR.AMAECHI..ETC.

Reply

Why Governor Okorocha should privatize the proposed General Hospitals.

Yield huge financial returns to the government both from the sales and tax returns.

Enshrine vigorous competition in health sector in Imo State, hence, giving the citizens options and forcing the various hospitalowners to seek ways to upgrade their institutions in all ramifications.

It will reduce the burden on the government as related to provision and maintenance of healthcare physical structures and other structures needed to sustain these 27 hospitals if they were to remain under the control of the State government.

It will give the government space to formulate regulations that bind the operations of these privately owned hospitals as it relates optimum healthcare provision and other needed operation, hence, enhancing the State’s healthcare provision status.

It will abrogate bureaucracy in operations and nonchalance to project maintenance and of employees’ service delivery that issynonymous with government own institutions.

WRITTEN BY: Austin Onuoha, RN

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