Stakeholders Urge President Tinubu To Tackle Lingering Health Issues

Stakeholders in the Health sector have urged President Bola Tinubu to address the lingering health issues in the country.

The stakeholders said the new government should be more sensitive to the health and well-being of Nigerians.

The National President, of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, Adewale Oladigbolu, urged the new government to give priority to local pharmaceutical drug manufacturers.

Oladigbolu said that such incentives would help scale up a percentage of drugs produced in the country, which currently stands below 30 per.

He said; “Government needs to prioritise incentives for drug manufacturers locally because drugs manufactured locally will generate lots of revenue, provide jobs and develop the sector.

“These incentives can be in the form of low-interest loans, setting up industrial parks in the six geo-political zones and stable power supply Amin others.

“This will increase the percentage of locally made drugs from below 30 per cent to 75 per cent target.”

The Chairman of the Nigeria Heart Foundation, hypertension Committee, Professor Basden Onuwubere, said the new government should be more sensitive to the health and well-being of Nigerians.

Onuwubere said that the health insurance policy in the country should be effective to ensure more access to good and quality healthcare.

He said; “Over the years, Nigerian governments in the past have been insensitive to health and education, a country where the allocation for health is less than five per cent of the budget is very bad.

“We hope the new government will be more sensitive and do more on health insurance.”

“The previous governments tried in the area of health insurance, but this government should make it more effective,” he added.

NAN/ Mercy Chukwudiebere