Deputy Provost, College of Medicine, University of Lagos (CMUL), Daniel Odebiyi, has insisted that the government alone could not provide health insurance coverage to Nigerians, urging philanthropists to intervene.
   
Addressing journalists on the forthcoming Eighth Felix Oladejo Dosekun Memorial Lecture in Lagos yesterday, the don observed: “Health insurance is the way to go. Some states like Lagos, Ogun and Anambra, are buying into it. But it doesn’t cover much. Someone who is hypertensive may not access it. We should encourage philanthropic giving to health insurance. Government alone cannot do it.”
 
Regarding the exodus of Nigerian doctors overseas, he described it as a blessing in disguise but admitted that the workload was enormous on lecturers left behind.
   
“We can’t stop people from moving. Many people have travelled and are coming to establish hospitals in Nigeria,” he added. On the theme of the lecture, ‘Medical curriculum and artificial intelligence: The meeting point and path to follow’, Odebiyi stated that the lecture was in honour of the Emeritus Prof. Felix Oladejo Dosekun, who was Deputy Provost and Provost of the college.
   
He said the guest lecturer, Dr. Emi Membere-Otaji, the Deputy National President Nigerian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mines and Agriculture  (NACCIMA), is also an alumnus of the college, adding that the lecture also aims to raise funds for the college. The don revealed the chairperson of the January 22 event to be Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Folashade Ogunsola.