Nigerian comedian Lasisi Elenu has criticised the country’s healthcare system, lamenting that Nigerians can be left helpless when they urgently require medical attention.
In an emotional video, the comedian appealed to President Bola Tinubu, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and other state governors to take urgent steps to improve healthcare delivery across the country.
Lasisi questioned why patients in need of immediate medical attention are sometimes turned away from federal hospitals because of a lack of available beds.
“I have seen people experience things in this country called Nigeria and it just lets you know that you are one sickness away from the grave,” he said.
The comedian also recounted the death of his mother in 2022, saying she was moved between federal hospitals while the family was repeatedly told there was “no bed space.”
He further criticised the treatment some patients and their families allegedly receive from medical personnel, while expressing concern over the increasing number of Nigerian doctors leaving the country.
“Before you can get a bed space in a federal government hospital in Nigeria, you have to know somebody that knows somebody that knows somebody,” he said.
Lasisi called for better-equipped hospitals, improved coordination within the healthcare system and reforms that would place the value of human life at the centre of medical services.
