The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has frowned on the continued reliance of the country on development partners to hold the forte in medical emergencies, instead of designing a national preparedness plan.
Governor of Ekiti State and chairman of the NGF, Kayode Fayemi said this on Wednesday in Abuja under the auspices of the Nigeria Health Commissioners’ Forum.
The 2022 theme of the forum ‘Primary Healthcare Financing’, was meant to discuss the role of states in primary health care financing in Nigeria.
Fayemi, who was represented by the Nasarawa State governor, Engr. Abdullahi Sule said that the country must make her interventions.
“Nigeria has numerous funds in different places that must be brought together to finance our primary health care centres (PHCs).
“Countries with strong PHC systems are better able to respond to disease outbreaks. We must improve our country’s capacity to respond to healthcare emergencies,” he said.
The chairman said that equitable healthcare in the country would ensure a high-performing healthcare delivery for all Nigerians.
“We will not make headway in achieving Universal Health Care (UHC) until we have a health system that works for all.”
He, however, assured that the NGF is committed to working with the Federal Government and all partners to ensure that the country is on track to achieve UHC.
Meanwhile, some experts on the sideline said that strengthened PHC in the country would be the easiest route towards the attainment of universal health coverage.
They stressed that this can only be achieved with the right financing arrangements in the country.
Science Nigeria recalls the Nigeria Health Commissioners’ Forum is Nigeria’s community of practice and learning platform created by the 36 states’ health commissioners across Nigeria.
This year, in collaboration with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the NHCF hosted the first collaborative event which focused on primary health care financing, particularly the role sub-national systems must play in the process.
It said that primary health centres all over the world, require adequate financing and service delivery.
