A former President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, has identified poor governance and lack of political commitment as major factors undermining the growth of the nation’s healthcare system.
Enabulele, who described the state of health delivery system in Nigeria as worrisome and troubling, said lack of political commitment on the part of the government at all levels, in addition to inadequate funding, had led to poor quality service delivery to patients .
Enabulele disclosed this while delivering a keynote address during the Annual Award/Symposium of the Health Writers Association of Nigeria, with the theme: “Challenges In Nigeria’s Healthcare Delivery System And Solutions” held in Lagos recently.
His words,“This poor governance and political commitment which largely results from a poor understanding of the economic importance of health and healthcare by most political and public officers at all levels of government, can be seen in poor budgeting for health, poor utilisation of Nigeria’s health facilities and outward medical tourism.
“The poor understanding of the nexus between health and the economic prosperity and productivity of nation-states partly explains why 17 years after Nigeria hosted the Abuja 2001 summit of African Heads of Government which declared that African Governments should allocate a minimum of 15 per cent of their budgets (at local, state and national levels) to the health sector, the Nigerian Government (aside from a few state governments) has never attained even half of the African benchmark on budgeting for health.”
He noted that “A look at the sectoral allocation to health at the federal level from 2009 to date shows an average allocation to the health sector of less than 6 per cent,” adding “The situation is even worse now in the current dispensation and much worst at the state and local government levels where the aggregate sectoral allocation to the health sector ranges from 1-3 per cent.”
Proffering solutions to the aforementioned problems, Enabulele, who is also the Vice-President, Common Wealth Medical Association, urged the Federal Government to urgently reposition the health sector by sincerely implementing the National Health Act.
”I urge the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to urgently implement the NHA as it will address the problems of brain drain, weak health system, absence of universal health coverage, medical tourism and even poverty”, he said.
He also appealed to the government to increase the health sector budgetary allocation to 15 percent as against the current less than five percent.
To further address the challenges, Enabulele, also reminded the government of the need to make subscription to the National Health Insurance Scheme mandatory as provided for in the amendment to the extant NHIS Act.
This, he said, would help to pool more funds into the scheme, with better cost sharing and financial risk-protection for a greater population of Nigerians, particularly the vulnerable, the poor and low income earners.
He stressed the need to consistently organise advocacy and awareness programmes through which the political leaders and policymakers will be educated and re-educated on the significant nexus between health, productivity and the economic growth and wealth of t
heir communities.
“Aside from continuous enlightenment, education and advocacy, significant and concrete efforts must be made to truly curtail the use of taxpayers’ resources to finance frivolous foreign medical trips by Nigeria’s political leaders and public office holders,” he said.
