A senior health specialist at the World Bank, Dr. Olumide Okunola has emphasised the critical role of public financing in achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Nigeria.
Okunola, who was speaking to the press at the National Stakeholders Roundtable on Digital Health in Abuja, Okunola explained that public financing does not mean only government healthcare services but rather supports both private and state-owned providers.
Okunola highlighted the sector-wide approach (SWAp) compact, which consolidates public and partner funding, as essential to streamlining digital health initiatives that have struggled due to fragmentation. Drawing from experiences in countries like Indonesia, Malaysia and India, he underscored the importance of digital health in accelerating UHC.
With $570 million already approved by the World Bank and additional funding from USAID and the Global Fund, Okunola stressed that financing alone is not enough. “Successful execution, including stakeholder engagement and policy framework development, is necessary to avoid past failures seen in health ICT projects elsewhere,” he said. He called for strong political commitment to sustain the momentum for UHC in Nigeria and urged stakeholders to contribute to building a robust digital health framework for better healthcare access.
