The House of Representatives on Tuesday urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to allocate part of the fuel subsidy savings to the vulnerable healthcare scheme.
The lawmakers gave the charge during the debate on a motion titled: ‘Call on the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to cover vulnerable Nigerians,’ sponsored by Hon. Bashiru Ayinla Dawodu.
In his lead debate, Hon. Dawodu observed that “social economic development is not achievable without access to quality and affordable healthcare.
“The House also notes that the World Health Assembly in 2005 adopted Universal Health coverage as part of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) Agenda 2030.
“The House is aware that after 23 years, only 5 million Nigerians have enrolled in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) while over 70% percent pay out of pocket for health care.
“The House is worried that over 83 million vulnerable populations comprising pregnant women, children under five years, persons with special needs, and the elderly are most affected, thus Nigeria is unable to meet the targets of universal coverage, thus increasing the rate of out-of-pocket health expenditure.
“The House is cognizant that the health care crisis cannot be resolved without Universal Health care coverage which cannot be achieved without meeting the target of the National Health Insurance.
“The House regrets that the National Health Insurance Authority Act of 2022 mandates Health Insurance for all citizens and legal residents which has failed.
“The House is concerned that in 2022 NNPC spent N4 trillion ($9.7 billion) on fuel subsidy and N3.6 trillion in 6 months of 2023.
“The House is also concerned that it costs about 5 billion to cover 5 million persons annually at the rate of NI5,000 per person,” he noted.
The lawmakers also tasked NHIA authorities to ensure the implementation and monitoring of the scheme.
To this end, the Speaker, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas referred the motion to joint Committees on Finance and Healthcare Services for further legislative action.
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