The Association of Nigerian Health Journalists (ANHEJ) has criticised the abysmal allocation of N1.33 trillion, representing five per cent of the entire 2024 proposed budget, to the health sector for the health needs of over 200 million Nigerians.
ANHEJ President Joseph Kadiri, at the 7th Annual Conference of the Association, explained that with the N1.33 trillion allocation, Nigeria is very far from achieving the ‘2001 Abuja Declaration,’ which stipulates the allocation of 15 per cent of the country’s yearly budget to the health sector.
The conference with the theme ‘Health Security: Nigeria’s Effort to Achieve Universal Health Coverage is organised in collaboration with the World Health Organisation in Nigeria
Kadiri said that with the emerging and re-emerging epidemics and pandemics, there is a need for the government at all levels in the country to prioritise and adequately fund health security.
He, therefore, urged the Federal Government to deploy more funds to the health sector, fully implement the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF), and make healthcare services available.
While speaking further, he said the conference brings together stakeholders from both the public and private sectors in the health sector to examine the federal government’s efforts to tackle the country’s poor health indices, such as the maternal mortality rate, which is still among the highest in the world, with an estimated 512 deaths per 100,000 live births, a high under-5 mortality rate of 117 per 1,000 live births, and the rate of women that deliver outside health facilities at over 65%, among other statistics.
“It will also examine several disease outbreaks and ways of preventing future occurrences. One of them is the current diphtheria outbreak, which has claimed over 600 lives from over 7, 000 cases.”
In his remarks, the Country Director of BudgIT, Gabriel Okeowo, emphasised the importance of a subject for conversation titled “Improving Access to Healthcare: The Role of Primary Health Care (PHCs).”
Okeowo reiterated that the role of PHCs in the nation’s healthcare system cannot be overemphasised, adding that the PHC is the primary source of healthcare for individuals and families.
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