BY AGUNZEHMARCEL EZEOCHA
Forum of Chairmen of boards of public health institutions in the country have called on private and corporate investors to invest in the nation’s health sector to add to the efforts of the Federal government to bridge the health sector challenges in the country
The Forum, which met at the weekend in Abuja, also warned federal government on the second wave of the Covid-19 Pandemic, even as they promised to intervene on the health workers planned strike.
Speaking at the end of the meeting, Chairman of the Forum, and Chairman of the Board of the Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital, Sam Sam Jaja, warned that government should be concerned about those who are coming into Nigeria from other countries or continent that are witnessing the second wave of Covid-19 Pandemic
“Today, what we did specifically is to do a swap analysis of our activities during thisCovid-19 pandamic – how did the hospitals fare, what are our strengthen incurbing Covid-19 and tackling it head on, what were our weakness and where did we draw our strength from, what were the threats we are
“Today, you will agree with me that government alone cannot fund health care delivery and it is expected that philanthropists and other well-meaning Nigeria to support the government to source for areas for which they can help government to deliver health care, most especially, to people who can’t afford it.
“You know that in this country poverty is ravaging most people and if we don’t assist the indigents them we will have crisis in our hands in terms of healthcare delivery.
“We are also taking a look at what will be the possible post Covid attitude of health care delivery in this country. We have also noted the second wave ofCovid-19 in America, Europe, Asia and also in other developed countries and also we are aware that many people are coming from this places into Nigeria and that is a danger signal and we pray that we don’t have a second wave but then assuming we have it, we are planning on how we are going to tackle it quickly.
“We also discussed how we are going to increase the issue of testing at different hospitals. You know government is doing a lot to ensure they help in getting equipment to make sure they help almost all the hospitals in getting the PPE to help those on the frontline.
“These are what we have looked at and our resolve is that so far we are doing too good and we are having a lot of support from the PTF on Covid-19, we are having a lot of support from the Ministry of health and with all those support we are going to implement all they had wanted us to implement to ensure that we deliver health care, most especially as it concerns Covid-19.”
Asked to speak on if they will advocate for the use of the Covid-19 recent vacinnes discovered, Jaja said, ‘that intervention is a policy issue and can only begiven by Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid-19 and National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)
On the threat by Health Workers to embark on strike and if the Health Institutions Board would intervene, the chairman said: “That is not a new thing at all because that is what we are expected to do to ensure that we have adequate care delivery.”
