At Enabulele Foundation Roundtable, Ex-WMA President, Others Bemoan Underfunding of Health Sector Despite Legislations
Hendrix Oliomogbe
Launched amidst fanfare and with great expectations one year ago in Benin City, Edo State, it was time recently for stakeholders of the Osahon Enabulele Foundation (OEF) to count their blessings one by one, as they say and set target for the future.
Looking back, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, the founder of OEF and former president of the World Medical Association (WMA), declared with a little bit of bravado that the foundation was able to meet the goals it set for itself when it kicked off early last year, notwithstanding the odds and the harsh economic realities of the situation. Amongst others, the foundation focuses on health; education; effective leadership; and good governance; and policy advocacy.
As part of the events to mark the one year anniversary of OEF, a free medical outreach, was held at Uselu Market, uptown Benin City. People from all walks of life started trooping in to the venue as early as 7 O'clock in the morning to take advantage of the free treatment.
Hundreds of patients, both young and old; women; men; students; and workers all came for free treatment. They sat under the canopies, waiting patiently for their appointments with the team of medical personnel from the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) for diagnosis.
They were tested for different kinds of ailments, including malaria, typhoid, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, high blood pressure, sugar level among other diseases.
The beneficiaries disclosed that they were well attended to by the medical personnel headed by Dr. Adegor Eferakeya, given the right drugs while those who could not be treated right on the spot were referred to UBTH.
A patient, who gave her name as Mrs. Maria Ewaen and a mother of three commended the quality of service rendered, adding that she was given free drugs.
Another beneficiary, an Accounting student of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Miss Chime Okorie said that after undergoing series of tests, she was given a pack of drugs, adding:
She said: "From deep down, I would like to commend the Dr. Osabulele Foundation. When I heard the news of the free treatment I decided to come over. Going by the manner and prompt attention I was given, it was definitely worth it. I was given free drugs."
At a gathering of stakeholders from the medical, educational, judicial and other sectors of the society on January 29, 2026 to mark the one year anniversary of the foundation, it was lamentations.
They insisted that the continued underfunding of the health sector despite legislations to the contrary is an aberration. The situation has made many poor Nigerians to pay more from deep down the bottom of their pockets for their health needs.
Speaking with journalists before the roundtable, Dr. Enabulele of the Department of Family Health at UNIBEN and an ex- president of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) bemoaned that the one percent from the Consolidated Revenue Fund which ought to be dedicated to the health by the National Health Act has been implemented in breach.
Against the backdrop of the high cost of living, the former WMA president said that millions of Nigerians are currently struggling and battling to have a meal a day, adding:
“The National Demographic Health Survey, the latest report of 2024 has nothing inspiring about access to health care, has nothing inspiring about the issue of health insurance and health expenditures.
"Lots of Nigerians still undertake health expenditures from their private pockets, that's out of pocket expenditures, which is presently hovering over around 75 percent of total health expenditure and that means a lot of people are being thrown into extreme poverty.
“People can no longer access quality health care and little wonder you find complications emerging on coming to the hospitals because all they do is to consult other less unorthodox results. And so we decided as a foundation to also engage this."
He continued the lamentation: “As at 1999, there was a commitment to ensure that the minimum funding requirements for health is met in terms of 15% of the national budget. But as I speak to you today, Nigeria's total health budget averaged in the last nine to 10 years has not been more than 5% of the national budget.
“We see very unappealing gaps in terms of access to quality healthcare, huge gaps in access to quality education, and of course very huge deficits in leadership and governance, which of course has impacted negatively on development and thrown millions of Nigerians into a miasma of hopelessness and a very high level of disillusionment.”
Saddened by the lack of interest in education among Edo youths, he said that the foundation decided to bring back the state secondary school debate last year, which was keenly contested by senior secondary schools through out the state and won by Eghosa Anglican Secondary School, Benin City.
Elated by the success of the Edo debate, Dr. Enabulele said that the foundation intends to take it higher to the national level.
Former Chief Judge of Edo State, Justice Cromwell Idahosa said that it was cause for very serious concern that the government had become so “busy” that it failed to provide basic things including necessities like health for the people that groups like OEF have now made it their responsibilities to play the role of government.
Sounding optimistic, the retired jurist, who chaired the Roundtable said that he was sure the Foundation would outlive the founder and achieve it aims and objectives.
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