With over 400 million projected populations by 2050, the Institute of Health Service Administrators of Nigeria, IHSAN, on Wednesday in Lagos urged the Federal Government to urgently expand and modernize healthcare services in the country to meet the healthcare needs of Nigerians.
IHSAN also noted that the rising population further exacerbates access to affordable health services due to the inadequate funding of the sector and poor, dilapidated infrastructure, among other inadequacies.
Speaking at their 37th National Workshop and Annual General Meeting themed “Advancing the HealthCare Management System in Nigeria”, the President of IHSAN, Pastor Rosemary Archibong, lamented that with Nigeria’s health insurance scheme covering a negligible portion of the citizens, medical professionals are far below the WHO standard.
Archibong said: “We call on the federal government to actualize and sustain attractive conditions of service for all health professionals, including hospital administrators. We must intentionally advance the healthcare management system.”
She urged healthcare professionals to work in close synergy, upscale their competencies, attract significant investors to their institutions, and improve their IGR free from corruption, as well as be more passionate in the discharge of their duties to achieve the renewed Hope Agenda of the current administration in the health sector.”
Delivering the keynote address, the Medical Director, of Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Metta, Lagos, Dr. Adedaramola Dada, said that to truly advance healthcare in Nigeria, the country must address challenges such as insufficient resources, disparities in access to quality care, political instability, corruption, and limited institutional capacity.
Dada, who recalled that the COVID-19 pandemic brought out the urgency for preparedness, adaptability, and resilience within the healthcare system, said the migration of skilled health professionals and the shortage of drugs due to economic instability must be addressed.
“To advance the healthcare management system in Nigeria, we must focus on critical areas of enhancing the quality of care provided by healthcare facilities, invest in health infrastructure to meet the growing demands of the population, develop and nurture a skilled and motivated healthcare workforce, harness the power of data and technology for better healthcare management, and ensure collaboration with the private sector to bridge the gaps in healthcare service delivery and resource allocation.
Noting that 80 per cent of diseases that affect Nigerians can be treated at the primary level, he said the country must prioritize preventive measures to curb the spread, ensure every decision is centred on patient care, and strengthen primary healthcare.
“Allocating funds to address social determinants of health such as poverty, housing insecurity, and food insecurity is necessary. Investing in research to advance disease understanding, identify effective treatments, and foster innovation in healthcare practices and technologies are essential features of the formidable health sector.”
On his part, the medical director of the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Dr Olugbenga Owoye, described member soft IHSAN as the linchpins of the healthcare system and said collaborative partnerships spanning across government, the private sector, non-profit organizations and the international community are indispensable in advancing the country’s health sector.
Speaking, the Director of Administration, at Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Mr. Adeyinka Antwi, who urged health workers to see themselves as stakeholders in the sector, said one of the ways to advance healthcare and provide an enabling environment for workers was for the federal government to harmonize pay of health workers apart from the allowances to reduce industrial crises in the sector.
Calling for a good working environment by ensuring that all health facilities are purposefully built, he said, “The overlapping roles in the health system are one of the major reasons why we have conflicts in the sector.”
