Association of Paediatrician Surgeons of Nigeria (APSON) has urged the federal government to build specialised hospitals that will provide free medical care for children under 14 in Nigeria.
The National President of the Association, Prof. James Adeniran said this while addressing journalists during the association’s 14th annual general meeting and scientific conference held in Abuja.
Adeniran said ‘We should build special paediatric hospitals for children as Imperial Ward Hospital in South Africa, dedicated solely to children and is completely free. We should also have free medical care for children up to the age of 14. We may not be able to provide it in each hospital, but in regional hospitals. We have money for it, if a senator is earing N18 million a quarter, I think we can do it.
‘‘We have found out that childhood trauma in terms of killing children and mortality is common in Nigeria because a lot of children we operate on lack nutrition.
‘‘In Nigeria, we have enough to provide free services for all children, adding to it, we should have separate hospital for children and separate them from adult hospital because the services we provide for both varies. We have specialized hospitals and nurses that can provide services for children. So we should separate children from adults, not only in providing food but services.”
The guest lecturer, Professor John Momoh added that health workers should be selfless in their service.
He said ‘‘Nigerians generally should change their attitude. The attitude should be mutual inclusive. We are so religious that our religion doesn’t go beyond our skin. Religion should change our character. Until our character changes, nothing gets better.”
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