 Are we broke because we're sick, or are we sick because we're broke? Ralph Aldo Emerson, an American essayist and philosopher who lived in the 19th century, used the phrase first, he said, health is wealth. In the context of American people stating that health is of utmost importance and wealth and in its true sense, health is only the real wealth of a person. So a cause we look at the Nigerian health sector really gets us thinking. If indeed health is wealth, how rich would we say we are in Nigeria? Also, if indeed health is wealth, it is rather apparent that only the rich in Nigeria are rich, play on words. Unfortunately, our country is one where human life is not taken as seriously as you would expect. Perhaps we have not been delivered enough to see how health contributes to wealth. Some statistics my help, looking at some of the best medical sectors in the world, incidentally happen to belong to the top 21 countries with the highest GDPs and then have also the lowest debt profiles. So let's start with Sweden, GDP $530 billion, the health system, they have a decentralized universal healthcare system for everyone. Sweden's life expectancy is 82.4 years old. This surpasses the life expectancies in Germany, the UK and the United States. Sweden also has one of the lowest maternal and child mortality rates in the world. There are 5.4 physicians per 1000 people, which is twice as great as in the US, the UK and 100% of births in Sweden assisted by medical personnel. Let's talk about Germany, GDP $3.9 trillion. The German healthcare system is a dual public-private system that dates back to the 1880s, making it the oldest in Europe. Healthcare in Germany is funded by statutory contributions, ensuring free healthcare for all. Again, let that sink in, free healthcare for all. Germany is one of the biggest spenders on healthcare in Europe. It spends 11.1 of its annual GDP on healthcare expenditure. Only Switzerland and France spend more in terms of GDP percentage. Human healthcare spending works out at just over 4,000 pounds, 4,000 euros per inhabitant every year. Final example, Denmark, $350 billion in GDP. The healthcare in Denmark is largely provided by the local governments of the five regions with coordination and regulation by the central government. The central government plays a relatively limited role in healthcare in Denmark. Its main function is to regulate, coordinate and provide advice. Life expectancy in Denmark has increased from 7.9 years in 2005, so 80.6 years, almost 81 years in 2015. Danish women have a higher life expectancy, it's 2.5 percent, it's 2.5 years in 2015 than Danish men, 78.6 in 2015. In Nigeria, currently, Nigeria's healthcare system ranks among the lowest in the world. A study from 2018 on the land side of global healthcare, access and quality looked at 195 countries around the world and Nigeria scored 142nd. Nigerians usually have to pay for medicine out of their own pockets. Often the medicine is expensive and difficult to afford. In 2019, on average, healthcare made up 6 percent of Nigerian households spending, with higher figures in the rural areas than in urban areas, for obvious reasons. Resident doctors in Nigeria have been on strike for about six to eight weeks. Technically, there's an MOU in place now waiting to be signed after several lives have been lost and another proposal to borrow money added to the already sinking depth profile. So again, I ask, are we broke because we're sick, or are we sick because we're broke? Really? But you know what I want to also add to this conversation that you need to add? You missed out the fact that Denmark is just about the size of Karnat-State. Germany is about, it's less than a quarter the size of Northern Nigeria. These three states put together, we can either dump them in North or Southern Nigeria and there will still be space. So please tell me, and the Danish, I think they are just, they are known for milk. Their cows don't work around now, they don't have a place. What is happening in Nigeria? You know I was really happy during COVID, I was really happy during COVID because we're all trapped here, rich or poor. If you notice, we had some high-profile deaths. I didn't say anything. Well, it's almost as if you knew what I had written about and we will get to the way that Nigerians can't survive. But very nice Atukua, I wish you had given us our GDP, you know, also, you know, and our own life expectancy, just so that we could see the stark reality of what we're living with. And following up on what Kunle said about, you know, the sizes of these countries and all. But you see, this is what happens when a government is deliberate. If we were as deliberate, I mean, America is a whole continent. I did not live well, too. I mean, what I mean by many standards, they're living much better than we are. So it still goes back to the issue of leadership. What we care about, who is pushing what and where and for what interests. We the interests in this country are largely driven by not by, you know, justice or fairness. I mean, with all due respect, I understand that the doctors are not happy. How many times are we going to go through this in every other year? At what point will you sit down, you know, and think and say, you know what, we need to get what we need to get without, because this is what I swore to. I remember the first time I heard of Dr. Strike. Then, Professor, he was doctor then, Dr. Ulukui Ransom Kuti was minister of health. I was in primary school. It has continued. He has died. Governments have changed. Over 12, 13 governments have changed. We are still in the, I've gone from primary school to university to having a son that is now at that level and I'm still going through the exact same thing. And it's not only that we're not deliberate. Look at how much people spend on health. To top it, Nigeria has our health pension scheme. And it doesn't know where they found 6 billion inside somebody's roof. How can we continue like this? If you go back to that COVID, you know, I'm very upset with the amount of money that was given to Nigeria for COVID. And I wondered, you mean there wasn't somebody in that circle, on that panel, that committee, that group, whatever they call themselves, that would have said, you know what, now that we have this thing, right? And we can't escape. Let's build a hospital. Okay. This is so hard. We all go to die here. I think it comes down again to value for human life. I think it's really as simple as that. No, I don't think so. I don't think it's value for human life. Because people are dying. Do you know why I know? Do you know why I know it's not value for human life? So I have this friend who is within the government system in an Eastern state. And then people that come from that Eastern state, old doctors that were retired, spoke to their friends abroad that there was no primary health care center. They were going to stock up a hospital A1. Guess what? The state health commissioner of health in that state refused to agree. Why? Because they're building a hospital for free. But they say, no, they want dollars. How many dollars are they giving them? You turn down the hospital when you don't have one to ask for dollars. And that's what goes on. It's just very painful. Like anything else is supposed to be number one, like anything else. Because how long are we going to keep traveling to treat malaria? A lot of our politicians travel during COVID. COVID was very beautiful because nobody could live in Nigeria. But how long do we keep traveling to treat malaria, to treat typhoid, and get health care? You're going to say one sentence, aren't you? Mm-hmm. You want to say something? Yes, but I was going to say that if they really value human life, I don't see how you are a leader. And the well-being of your citizens is number one in your mind. And you are able to sleep with your eyes closed. You should have a conscience. I mean, health is wealth, like you said. Where are we going to... How do I put this? Draw the line? No, like how can we move forward when you know that? Because the majority of people who don't have access to quality health care are the poor. And the percentage of the poor people here in the country is way more than the rich, who can easily take care of themselves with private hospitals. So we just need to... It's not even that easy because even now, when my mum tells me she's going to the doctor, my heart is beating because by the time she goes and comes back, Kondraki has died easily. That's also every month I'm praying, God, please have mercy, let her not fall sick, please help. So as is this, as in Nigeria, and even with me in this class, is we pray as my dear. I understand that the doctors need money. They can't prescribe drugs or perform some certain operations or diagnosis without some certain equipment. But still, I mean, I can't remember what the doctor's vow is, but the health of your patients should be number one. I understand that you can't just leave them to be because you're not being paid. It could have been that they may not have done their best and they've decided to go on their strike. Yeah, so now guys, I mean, we can go... This is a whole one-hour topic, everyone has to get on it. We've not even sort of described the suffix, but I think we've thrown out a few important points. So comfort runs off the show after this break. Don't go away.