By Chioma Obinna & Gabriel Olawale

Lack of reliable statistics has been identified as the bane of quality healthcare delivery services in Nigeria as 50 years after independence, the nation is still battling with poor health records.

Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, Prof. Osato Giwa-Osagie who made the remark in Lagos recently lamented that poor attitude to health records even in the hospitals had made it impossible for Nigeria to respond adequately to health emergencies.

He spoke during a lecture organised by the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) to mark the 50th independence anniversary tagged, “Nigeria @ 50: Health Research for National Development.”

In a chat with Good Health Weekly , Giwa-Osagie stressed the need to reestablish proper governance, authority, and communication to ensure proper figures as proper records and figures are the basis for developmental planning.

“We need to do that in the health sector. Federal government should allocate money to health because we are chronically under funded based on WHO recommendations. Lets get the statistics correct. Again, there is need for government and individuals to invest more in research”

Director General of NIMR, Prof. Innocent Ujah said the lecture was organised to reflect on the contribution of health research to national growth and development as part of strategy to chart a viable course for future research direction.

Ujah who noted that health research has provided the strongest support in preventive and curative medicine globally, added that to get a good outcome from research, investment must be geared towards it.

He lamented that research has remained at the backbench in Nigeria due to lack of funding.

He posited that because research drive development in any country, there is need for government and well-meaning Nigerians to invest in research with a view to attaining the 20: 2020 and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

On NIMR’s achievements, he disclosed that currently, the Institute is treating about 14,000 Nigerians living with HIV & AIDS.