Ex-health minister urges stakeholders on Universal Healthcare Coverage

On Jul 24, 2023

The Former Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, has urged government at all levels and corporate organizations to strengthen and expand the reach and number of diseases being treated under Universal Healthcare Coverage. He made the call in an opening remark at the 2023 Amaka Chiwuike-Uba International Asthma Conference.

According to him, this is to assist poor Nigerians to easily access healthcare all year round. “This move will greatly assist millions of poor people access quality and essential healthcare, which their out-of-pocket expenditures cannot cover,” he added.

The Conference, which was organized by the Amaka Chiwuike-Uba Foundation, is themed, “COVID-19 and the Future in the Past: Health Financing and Universal Health Coverage”.

Prof. Adewole, who was represented by Dr. Innocent Ugwu, said due to increasing poverty, it was becoming difficult for most poor people and homes to take care of their health, especially those in rural communities.

The minister also appreciated the Chairman and Board of ACUF for organizing the conference and pushing the narrative of an all-inclusive healthcare agenda.

In his address, Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State commended the foundation for its stride in empowerment as well as in creating healthcare awareness and education within the state.

The governor, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Ifeanyi Agujiobi, said the state had passed the UHC bill into law and had commenced enrollment of residents into the UHC scheme.

“We have already enrolled 150,000 residents into the state’s UHC scheme and we are planning to expand the coverage,” he added.

The governor noted that the state government had been putting up initiatives and programmes to enhance the health and well-being of residents, especially those aimed at reducing the health and financial burden on families.

Earlier, the President of Nigeria Medical Association, Dr. Uche Ojinmah, assured of the association’s continuous partnership with the foundation as it champions universal access to quality health for all Nigerians.

Represented by the immediate past Chairman of NMA in Enugu State, Dr. Tony Onyia, the NMA president noted that there was a need for a holistic approach in solving the health financing needs of Nigerians, especially for the less privileged.

On his part, the President of the Nigerian Thoracic Society, Professor Prince Udegbunam-Ele, said the treatment and management of asthma remained a major challenge in the medical world, adding, “There is nothing as painful as acute asthma.”

According to him, asthma remains a major headache of the medical world, while the pain of chronic asthma can be described as the grip of the devil himself. “I must commend ACUF , it’s chairman and board members for keeping the treatment, awareness and support to asthmatic patients alive and going the extra mile on the illness,” Prof. Udegbunam-Ele said.

Meanwhile, in his welcome address, the Chairman, the Board of Trustees ACUF, said that ACUBIAC 2023, Dr. Chiwuike Uba, said the event was the third in the series of international advocacy and public-private dialogue for a better health sector and environment.

He said the conference would stimulate dialogue and collaboration among stakeholders on health financing and UHC, adding that it would help to secure financial and political commitments and prioritize health funding.

“There is a need to rethink how UHC is carried out and make it a community-based issue with transparent management and involving the people notwithstanding the little contribution they will gather. The present coverage of UHC is still abysmally low compared with the millions of Nigerians not covered and they are currently living in extreme poverty in the country. As a nation, we must move fast and check the rate of unnecessary and poverty-induced deaths all around us due to lack of money or inadequately planned healthcare provision system,” he said.

Wumi/PUNCH