Nigerian Government Spent N80bn on Health Sector -Osinbajo
The Nigerian Government says it had spent N80bn to finance acquisition and installation of critical medical equipment and expansion of production lines in some pharmaceutical companies.
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The Vice President Yemi Osinbajo disclosed this, while declaring open the ongoing two-day Primary Health Care Summit 2022, in Abuja.
The summit, with the theme, “Re-Imagining Primary Health Care in Nigeria,’’ is organised by the Federal Ministry of Health in collaboration with National Primary Health Care Development Agency.
The vice president said it had become imperative to appraise the key components of primary health care in the country.
He said, “So this year, and today especially, as we mark the four decades of the anniversary of the Alma-Ata Declaration on primary health care, we should reflect on the state of primary healthcare in Nigeria; tracking progress in some of the key component of primary health care especially public education.”
“The components are proper nutrition, clean water and sanitation, maternal and child health care, immunisation, local disease control, maternal and child health care, immunization, local disease control, accessible treatment and drug provision.”
“We have heard already of the exceptional progress that has been made in the provision of some of these components; the Basic Healthcare Fund seeking to address cost of healthcare for the poor, the freshly designed primary health care facilities that have steady water supply, solar power, staff quarters, perimeter fencing, and now the keke NAPEP mini ambulances.”
“Also the Federal Government of Nigeria’s COVID-19 response measures, including the health sector component of the Economic Sustainability Plan, the establishment of Healthcare Sector Intervention Fund Facility which disbursed somewhere in the order of N80 billion to finance the acquisition and installation of critical medical equipment and the expansion of production lines in some pharmaceutical companies.”
“There are also the WASH initiatives especially the Clean Nigeria–Use the Toilet’ Campaign led by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources. The extensive work now being done by the National Council on Nutrition, and the National food systems dialogues and special initiatives on large scale food fortification, such as the Food Processing and Nutrition Leadership Forum led by Alhaji Aliko Dangote.’’
Osibajo, however, said that it was evident that more needed to be done, adding that there are three critical trends of thought in re-imagining primary healthcare in Nigeria.
He said, “First is dealing with out of pocket expenses by a compulsory health insurance where premiums for certain categories of vulnerable groups are paid by government. As the Minister of Finance has said, the target is 100 per cent coverage for the poor and vulnerable in the short to medium term “There is no way that healthcare funding can be paid for by government budgets alone. The second is addressing some of the drawbacks occasioned by the concurrent constitutional status of primary healthcare.
“There is a great need for synergy, to prevent the federal, states, local governments and private persons from duplicating primary health facilities. The third is encouraging and supporting serious private sector interventions.”
According to him, two examples readily come to mind and they are to “Adopt a Primary Health Facility Programme pioneered by Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede’s ABC HEALTH in collaboration with the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria, founded by Aliko Dangote, Jim Ovia and Aig-Imoukhuede.”
Osinbajo said the goal was to establish a chain of PHCs across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas and apply market-based reforms to provide low-cost health services at decent standards to the poor and vulnerable.
“The other is the EHA clinics operating mainly in Kano and Bauchi led by Dr Hananiya. Through its Reach programmes, EHA has brought effective healthcare to over 11000 people in Kano alone. The effort leverages on partnerships with non-governmental organisations and pharmaceutical companies to negotiate treatment prices and to also train community health extension workers to provide affordable primary healthcare services to people in the communities.
“Aside funds, what the private sector should bring to the task are models of efficiency and cost saving market driven ideas. On January 27, 2022, the president inaugurated the Health Care Reform Committee, a robustly constituted committee with representation from the states, healthcare related professional groups, associations and medical academia,” Osibajo stated.
He noted that the primary objective was to reengineer the healthcare delivery system such that it can become people centric, modern and virile a healthcare system that addresses the depressing health indices frontally.
NAN
