The Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, has advocated more budgetary allocation to healthcare delivery to reduce the search for medical care abroad.
The monarch, who was represented by the Galadima Rabba, Alhaji Mohammed Gimba Abubakar, made the call at the commissioning of the Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) built by Sunti Sugar Company for the Kanzhi Community in Mokwa local government area of Niger State.
He said the healthcare delivery system across the country must be improved to curb Nigerians’ craving for foreign medical tourism.
The royal father said this could be achieved if medical facilities across the country were standardised and fully equipped to meet global standards while efforts were made deliberately to check the brain drain of medical personnel.
The Etsu Nupe lauded Sunti Sugar for regularly intervening as part of its corporate social responsibility and urged other companies and wealthy individuals to always invest in humanity.
“The era of leaving everything for the government and companies is long gone. You are also expected to put in your own self-help projects as well for the development of the community.
Sunti Sugar has been involved in the opening and maintenance of roads, construction of schools, and provision of potable water not only to the community but to the state in the past years and I call on you all to give the company maximum cooperation to bring more development to the area,” he said.
Earlier, the general manager of the company, Mr Anlo Du Pisani, said the project was one of many others earmarked as part of its corporate social responsibilities and licence to operate within the area, saying, “We conducted an independent needs assessment of our host community and identified priority thematic areas for development and investment and using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as reference.
