Bukola Afeni
The World Health Organization said Universal Health Coverage is central to achieving Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).
The health body said it has supported Nigeria’s health financing to ensure that people have quality services at an affordable cost without the risk of financial hardship .
The World Health Organization Technical Officer, Health Financing and Public-Private Partnerships/Universal Health Coverage Life-Course Cluster in Nigeria, Dr. Francis Ukwuije, made the disclosure at the 7th Annual ANHEJ conference in collaboration with World Health Organization.
He noted that health financing is concerned with the mobilization, accumulation, allocation, and utilization of resources to help countries make progress towards UHC.
“The amount of money spent on health matters, but where the money comes from and how financing is structured is also important. We do not want individuals continue to pay from their hard-earned money to cater for health-related issues:, he said.
Dr Francis further called for increased revenue collection to address out of pocket expenditures in the health sector.
“We have situations where citizens risk their daily income and means of survival while generating huge resources to pay for unpredictable large health bills.
In some instances they have to pay for expenses to cover their unpredictable costs when sick or injured”, he said.
Dr. Francis noted that raising sufficient and sustainable revenues is paramount to guaranteeing efficient and equitable access to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) for every Nigerian.
The President, Association of Nigeria Health Journalists( ANHEJ),Mr Joseph Kadiri, urged the federal government to deploy more funds to the health sector, and to fully implement the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF).
He further called on the country to prioritize and fund health security.
“With the emerging and re-emerging epidemics and pandemics, there is also need for government at all levels in the country to prioritise and adequately fund health issues in the country. Many countries are already strategizing on mobilizing resources to achieve health security”, he said.
He further called on the government to remain steadfast in reversing medical tourism and brain drain in the health sector
“Government need to address gaps in delivering quality services for family planning, cancer and other non-communicable diseases.
“We want the federal government to make healthcare services available, accessible and affordable to Nigerians, irrespective of social status in the society”, ANHEJ President asserted.
The Country Director Budgit, Mr Gabriel Okeowo, urged stakeholders in the health sector to explore innovative strategies and collaborative efforts that can be employed to strengthen and empower Primary Health Care facilities.
“Our collective focus should be on ensuring that PHCs are well-equipped and readily accessible to all segments of the population. Investment in skilled healthcare professionals is also critical”, he said.
The Budgit boss also urged health Journalists to write compelling stories in areas that requires urgent attention in the health care sector.
“As Journalists, your role becomes even more crucial in amplifying the discourse, surrounding the challenges and successes in improving access to healthcare through PHCs. Your storytelling can illuminate the stories of communities positively impacted by effective PHC initiatives and shed light on areas that require urgent attention”, he said.
