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The move is timely, coming at a time President Umaru Yar'Adua has spent more than two months in a Saudi Arabian hospital, leaving the nation in the lurch and to the acute embarrassment of his countrymen.

The sad reality is that, after a long period of neglect, leaders have completely lost faith in the nation's health care delivery system. Top public office holders demonstrate their loss of confidence in the system by jetting out to foreign countries anytime they have health issues. Those in the corridors of power use public funds for their medical care abroad while the vast majority of the tax payers are left at the mercy of the poor medical facilities at home.

Amaechi rightly observed that only the rich and influential in the society benefitted from the government's sponsorship of foreign medical trips in the first place. The weak and the unconnected have no access to the gesture nor to any government largesse for that matter.

It is estimated that the country spends over $200 million dollars annually, according to the Minister of Health, Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin. This is a big drain on the foreign exchange earnings of the country.

The practice of making frequent foreign medical trips has become pervasive in government circles. Public office holders, their relatives and hangers-on jet out to treat major and minor ailments, using public funds. All arms and tiers of government are guilty of spending tax payers' money on foreign medical treatment. As a result, the legislature has not been able to provide the necessary checks on the executive branch. According to Osotimehin, public functionaries and an increasing number of private individuals have lost so much confidence in the nation's health care delivery system that they seek treatment for even the most minor ailments, "even eye discomfort." This trend has seen India join the Western countries as a major destination for medical tourism.

The three tiers of government have failed the people in the provision of health care services. At federal, state and local government health institutions, decay, poor funding, inadequate facilities and indiscipline are prevalent. Hundreds of highly qualified persons in various areas of medicine have sought greener pastures abroad because the facilities at home are often obsolete and hardly maintained.

The Rivers State Government deserves to be commended for ending the reprehensible patronage system of frittering away huge tax payers' fund to foot the foreign health bills of a few privileged individuals. The step has portrayed the state as a lover of equality and social justice.

But the governor must go much further by taking creative measures to provide qualitative health care services for the people of the state. Money freed from the foreign treatment policy should be ploughed henceforth into preventive health care. It has been established by the World Health Organisation that primary health care should take precedence in the health spending by governments over secondary and tertiary health levels.

Governor Amaechi has said that part of the N19 billion proposed for the state's health sector in the 2010 budget will be spent on renovating 23 general hospitals. This is a step in the right direction. But there should also be a renewed emphasis on the effectiveness of primary health centres and dispensaries in the rural areas. Widening access to clean water is a cost-effective method of fighting many diseases, including dysentry, cholera, guinea worm etc. Their government should also renew its commitment to immunisation, especially against the deadly childhood diseases.

Moreover, the local government councils in the state should prioritise health care through aggressive immunisation, sanitation and enlightenment programmes. The LGs should build and maintain dispensaries, primary health centres and mobile clinics for the riverine communities that are, by distance and difficult terrain, cut off from basic medical facilities.

The government should also design a reward system that will enable it to retain sound medical personnel to run the state's health institutions. Besides, the prevailing culture of poor maintenance should be discouraged and equipment and structures serving the health sector should be properly looked after.

The withdrawal of Rivers State from the sponsorship of foreign medical trips should serve as an open invitation to the private sector to come and provide world-class medical services. Some of the hospitals that Nigerians patronise abroad are built or endowed by wealthy individuals with a passion for philanthropy. Private interests should be encouraged to venture heavily into health care delivery with the aim of building world-class institutions.