The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has enjoined the Federal Government to increase budget allocation to the health sector from 4.16 percent to 15 percent for adequate facilities and quality health care service delivery.
Baba Issah, Professor of Medicine and Chairman NMA Kwara State chapter made this known on Monday while addressing journalists in Ilorin on the association’s 2020 ‘Physician Week’ with the theme “Strategy For Health System Recovery During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Nigeria”
Issah, who noted that this year’s celebration calls for sober reflection considering the recent realities of Coronavirus and its attendant consequences including deaths of health care workers, stressed the need for adequate investment in the health care system to ensure accessible and affordable health care to all citizens.
According to him, the scary indicators in the country which have further worsen by the Covid-19 pandemic are clearly unacceptable to the Nigerian Doctors saying, “it is a great danger and threat to the survival of our great nation even as the country celebrated its 60th anniversary.”
He further explained that for meaningful development to take place in a given society where disease and deaths are ravaging the potential leaders and the hopes of our tomorrow; there must be strategic and focused actions on health care.
The association suggested that “Nigeria’s allocation to health in 2029 was a meager 4.16% of the budget and it is unpredictable how much of the fund would be released for the care of the people of Nigeria.
“For Nigeria to achieve improved health care; there must be a health workforce and information system, improving access to essential medicines and paying more attention to health financing among other things to strengthen the health sector.
“The right to health includes ensuring availability, accessibility and quality health care, facilities and services. The present moment offers an opportunity to strengthen our health system through greater access to life-saving technologies, improvements in the critical subsystem, long-term investment in institutions including capacity building and leadership development.
“It is our firm belief that with the right support from governments, our efforts to provide excellent service to Nigerians will continue to contribute to national development for social and economic growth.”
