……Insufficient allocation for healthcare fund requires increased investment in PHCs – FG
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Tunji Alausa has called for substantial investments to bolster over 30,000 Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs) nationwide.
This follows the inadequacy of the current 1 percent allocation to the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).
Speaking at a policy dialogue on Monday in Abuja during the 2023 Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day commemoration, Alausa emphasised the urgent need for increased funding.
He proposed a sector-wide approach, urging multilateral and bilateral agencies to invest in the Basic Healthcare Provision.
“This strategic move aims to transform the funding structure of PHCs, fostering improved health indices within one to two years,” he said.
Dr Muyi Aina, the Executive Director, National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), said that the agency was committed to ensuring that every ward in the country has fully functional PHC, equipped with a skilled workforce, necessary tools, and reliable access to electricity.
Aina shared plans of the agency in the next four years, saying that the agency would also prioritised the quality of care, actively listen to the people on the field, and rely on partnerships with stakeholders.
Dr Chris Isokpunwu, Director of Health Planning, Research & Statistics at the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), highlighted the persistently low government spending on the country’s healthcare.
Advocating for the Basic Healthcare Provision Sector-Wide Approach, Isokpunwu emphasized collaborative resource pooling among partners to enhance the quality and accessibility of health services.
He noted that Federal Health Budgets constitute only a fraction of the government’s healthcare expenditure, which is less than 15 percent when combined with other government sectors.
He warned that this could lead to inefficiencies and duplications.
Achieving progress in key health areas such as antenatal coverage and skilled birth attendance requires departing from traditional “business-as-usual” models.
Other key areas are stunting/wasting, adolescent birth rate, zero dose children, Pent-a 3 coverage, percentage of children 0-12 months fully immunised, health insurance coverage, and patient satisfaction with Primary Health Care (PHC) services.
He stressed the importance of social accountability, citizens’ engagement, medical industrialisation, and the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Programme.
The programme includes BHCPF, which integrates financing and private sector involvement, prioritising a Sector-Wide Approach for the BHCPF with a focus on data and digital health.
He outlined additional components, including Industrialisation Fund for decentralised facility financing, the Vulnerable Group Fund addressing specific healthcare needs, and extending to secondary, tertiary, and quaternary care.
“The programme also encompasses a Medical and Public Health Emergencies Fund, with public health measures enhanced through community-based service delivery, covering commodities, governance and human resources for health.
“The overall initiative integrates the BHC provision sector-wide approach and the Healthcare Industrialization programme, utilising a sector-wide approach to pool available funds, while the Nigeria Healthcare Industrialisation Fund dedicates resources to drive investment in the healthcare value chain,” he said.
In her opening remarks, Mrs Moji Makanjuola, Chair of the Nigeria UHC Forum, emphasised the potential for the country to lead not only in confronting pandemics but also in making accelerated progress towards UHC.
Makanjuola urged the deployment of the same energy and commitment applied to pandemics for translating knowledge, recommendations, and policies into action.
She highlighted the need to mobilise additional resources and set Nigeria on the UHC trajectory.
She underscored the importance of spending better while aspiring to spend more, emphasising the accountability bar.
“The Forum is developing a policy position paper reflecting emerging policy thrusts within the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative,” she said.
She stressed the need to identify and pursue actions that generate more funds for UHC aspirations.
In this context, she encouraged the government to consider establishing an inter-ministerial committee on innovative financing for health, serving as a vehicle.
Meanwhile, a panel also extensively discussed how to accelerate Universal Health Coverage in Nigeria at the 2023 UHC Policy Dialogue (UHC2023).
Dr Garfa Alawode, Co-convener of the UHC2023 Forum, emphasised the imperative of optimising available funds, highlighting the need to establish mechanisms for identifying and addressing inefficiencies and wastages at both the state and national levels.
He stressed the need to effectively utilize the country’s limited resources.
“It is essential to implement reforms and innovations that facilitate the mobilization of an additional pool of resources,” he says.
“The establishment of an inter-ministerial committee is crucial to devise practical mechanisms for mobilizing and expanding resources dedicated to health,” he commented.
Dr Pamela Ajayi, President of Healthcare Federation of Nigeria, said that the country needs to ensure that there is not just public-private partnership but also public-private integration.
Ajayi said that the private sector can bring in a lot of funding, and ability in the country’s health system.
The Executive Director of the Development Research and Projects Centre, Dr Judith-Ann Walker, said that the country must work on the promotion of information sharing.
“We need to fashion out an agenda to mobilise Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), bring them on board to engage and educate citizens,” Walker said.
The event provided an opportunity for key stakeholders to discuss the evolving health and social welfare policy priorities of the current administration, fostering consensus on the implementation of solutions to challenges within the health system.
