Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo says the federal government cannot adequately provide health care services for the entire Nigerian population.
Osinbajo said this on Tuesday at the national health dialogue in Abuja.
Represented by Nicolas Audiferren, his chief physician, Osinbajo said an effective national health insurance scheme may be the best option for the development of the nation’s health sector.
He said the government is dedicated to attaining universal health coverage (UHC) for all Nigerians.
Reeling out some achievements of the government, he said: “We were able to allocate 1% of the consolidated revenue fund towards the funding of key health initiative in compliance with National Health act.
Chiedo Nwankwo, a medical doctor who spoke at the event said: “Nigeria is one of the worst places for maternal, newborn childcare in the world”.
Advocating for the poor, Nwankwo said: “they should not spend the little they have and get impoverished in their quest for quality health care”
She urged state and non-state actors to do more in order to improve healthcare
Muhammad Dogo, former NHIS chairman, said Nigeria is already offtrack in terms of achieving universal health care (UHC) by 2030.
He lamented the issue of health not having a strong constitutional backing in the country.
However, Dogo said that proper deployment of resources would help the country achieve UHC by 2030.
