By Hassan Zaggi
As Nigerians are preparing to go to the polls to elect new leaders in the next few days, stakeholders in the health sector under the umbrella of the Health Sector Reform Coalition (HSRC), have warned that Nigeria’s health sector is fragile, hence, cannot handle crisis resulting from election.
They have, therefore, called on Nigerians and indeed, the political actors to avoid all forms of violence and abide by the principles of free, fair and credible electoral process devoid of any violence.
Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja, Monday, the Interim Coordinator of HSRC, Chika Offor, advised Nigerians to cast their votes in a peaceful manner and avoid all forms of provocation that will lead to crisis.
She noted that the group has analysed the health component of the front line political parties and found some gaps, hence, provide identified areas that need urgent attention in the health sector.
According to her: “However, the analysis equally recognized gaps and suggest policy solutions that are relevant to the health manifestos of all or most of the candidates, including but not limited to expansion of the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund to all primary healthcare facilities in Nigeria; full implementation of the minimum standards for PHC centres; use of strategic purchasing in budgets and insurance and institutionalization of Research Findings for Policymaking.
Other critical policy solution, according to her, include mainstreaming health agenda in all sectors; engagement of qualified mental and social service professionals in PHC; institutionalization of accountability and anti-corruption mechanisms in the health sector; sufficient emphasis on addressing human resource challenges and interprofessional friction within the health sector and enhanced investment in health security towards accelerated implementation of the National Action Plan on Health Security.”
The group also called for the reinvestment of 15 per cent of the petroleum subsidy package into the health sector.
“In addition to the above scientific gaps in the roadmaps of the candidates, and seeing the cross-cutting commitment to the removal of petroleum subsidy which last year gulped over 20% of the country’s budget, the group strongly suggests a substantial reinvestment of the subsidy package in the health sector.
“This idea is not only because the removal creates an ample fiscal space to achieve the Abuja Declaration, but because health is one of the few sectors that can provide immediate dividends of productivity for the people and economic growth for the country.
“Consequently, the group envisions that the subsidy-to-health reinvestment program may be implemented through the Vulnerable Group Fund, provided in the National Health Insurance Act, to provide free health insurance to vulnerable populations; also, through other pathways such as the basic healthcare provision fund, National Action Plan on Health Security, PHC revitalization plan and so on.”
Speaking, a public health practitioner who is a member of the Coalition, Dr. Gafar Alawode, called on the incoming administration to appoint seasoned and credible people in the health sector that have the experience of the policy and experience of engaging the stakeholders so that they can hit the ground running to reform the health sector.
“We don’t want an administration that will come and experiment things on what works and what does not,” he stressed.
