Recently, the Lagos State Government, through the Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris announced that it is sanctioning public health workers for asking patients to pay for what should be free medication and treatment. Dr. Idris made the announcement at the commissioning of the Nurudeen Olowopopo Health Centre donated by the Eko Club. According to the commissioner, some of the guilty parties have been reprimanded while others are undergoing investigations.

The move became necessary after reports of extortion by health workers got to the government. The commissioner also lamented that there were a lot of free services and facilities provided by the government that are being secretly and unlawfully commercialised by unscrupulous workers.

Over the years, there have been allegations that health workers, largely working in state institutions, sell drugs donated by health and humanitarian agencies. They also allegedly sell donated pints of blood that are meant to be freely given to those in need. Over time, this has led to the death of an untold number of patients who could not afford certain medication or treatment, many of which are free. This is why the recent exercise by the Lagos State Government in sanctioning health workers found guilty of this crime is laudable.

It is high time the government established a punitive system for health workers found guilty of selling free drugs. This will not only put an end to the anomaly in the short term but also in the long run.  The government should come up with plans to sensitise the public on the health insurance scheme as well as the free services. Also, certain policies should be adopted to avoid a repeat of such anomalies.