Stakeholders in the health sector have supported the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) amendment Bill and a Bill for an act to Establish the National Blood Services Commission to coordinate, Regulate and ensure the provision of quality blood and blood products.
The Stakeholders including, the Minister for Health, Osagie Ehanire, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), NPHCDA, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, (NCDC) the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), among others gave this indications at the public hearing on the three Bills organized by the House of Representatives Committee on Health Services.
Ehanire while speaking particularly on the NPHCDA Act amendment Bill said it was a good move to strengthen the roles and responsibilities of the Agency to provide technical and programmatic support to states and LGAs for the development of lrimary healthcare in Nigeria which will ultimately improve the overall health outcomes in the country and accelerate its journey towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Read also: Reps direct NCDC to test MultiChoice CEO for COVID-19
“This transformation has expanded the roles and responsibilities of public health agencies globally beyond direct service delivery; to programme management, quality control and standards, performance monitoring, and enforcement.
“It is heartwarming to note that Nigeria has been declared Wild Polio Virus (WPV) free and will be ceremoniously certified free of WPV by World Health Organization on August 25th 202.
“This achievement of polio free status is a hard-won battle spanning over three decades of hard work and dedication of the polio team, partners and donors through the years of the defunct National Programme on Immunization (NPI) to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency established by an ACT of 1992” the Minister stated.
The NLC President, Ayuba Waba in his presentation said with the passage of the Primary Healthcare Bill, Nigeria would be strengthening the primary health sector and also threw his weight behind the National Blood Services Commission Bill.
Also, the NCDC Director General, Chikwe Ihekweazu, said the did not come with a presentation it was has aligned with the position of the Health Minister.
On her part, Blessing Nienge who represented the Executive Secretary of NHIS, Mohammed Sambo supported, especially the Blood Services Commission Bill.
“The bill has been underscored. The member here gave a experience if what happened to his relative. Most of us have personal experiences.
“The National Health Insurance Scheme is aligning with the three bills and we believe your good works will speak for you,” she said.
Earlier, Tajudeen Abbas (APC, Kaduna ) who sponsored the National Blood Services Commission Bill recounted how his daughter was infected with Hepatitis B through a faulty transfusion.
However, a Bill for an act to Establish Cancer Registry to make provision for complication of Statistics Record to the incidence of Cancer to provide a Basis for Direction of programme for Research and for Cancer Treatment and for Related matters was rejected by the stakeholders.
The Cancer Bill seeks to look into the present increase of the spread of and attack of cancer disease globally and the deadly consequences on people.
Sequel to the adoption of the presentation of the Minister who said it would amount to a duplication as Nigeria has 33 Cancer Treatment Centres across the nation, it was rejected by majority of stakeholders.
