I just read a report published in a news paper with a heading "Life expectancy in Nigeria drops to 49 years"
Can you imagine that? Well read on and lets ponder . . .
A professor of medicine, Friday Okonofua, has said that the life expectancy of the Nigerian has dropped from 52 to 49 years.
Okonofua, provost of the College of Medicine of the University of Benin, said the decline could be traced directly to the increased rate of deaths among women, infants and children.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria that the situation was caused by poor access to healthcare for these categories of Nigerians as a result of inadequate health facilities, ignorance and poverty.He said, “This situation is related to the high poverty level in the society, where more than 70 per cent of the people live on less than one dollar per day.
“Whatever financial resources they have is often devoted to eking out a daily subsistence living rather than being used for appropriate healthcare.”
He called on traditional rulers, religious leaders and other well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on mothers and women to seek appropriate healthcare services.
He also urged Nigerians to abstain from harmful traditional practices that hindered good health.
Source: The Punch
