FG Promises to Revitalized PHC through Universal Health Coverage
The Honourable Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole has reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment towards providing Universal Healthcare Coverage through the revitalisation of Primary Healthcare (PHC) for the wellbeing of Nigerians recently in Lagos.
The Ministers made this known in his welcome address at the 2018 exhibition & conference, Leaders in Health Care, organised by Medic West Africa, tagged “The UHC road map-shaping West Africa’s Healthcare of the future’.
Adewole noted that the PHCs Revitalisation Programme was inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari in January, 2017 with the aim of revitalising at least 10,000 PHCs nationwide (i.e. 1 PHC/ward), out of these, about 110 PHC facilities across the States (one Primary Health Care in each Senatorial Zone) were revived.
Additional 71 PHCs were revitalised under the 2017 appropriation act. Presently, Development Partners/States have revitalised over 4,000 as part of their Support to the Programme.
“The PHC revitalisation programme is geared towards bringing health care to the door steps of Nigerians by ensuring that there is one functional PHC facility in every ward” the Minister added.
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He also disclosed that his Ministry was ensuring the actualisation of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) which was established to serve as a major funding vehicle for the Basic Minimum Package of Health Services (BMPHS). This is meant to increase the fiscal space and overall financing to the health sector with a view to assisting Nigeria achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The Chairman Senate Committee on Health, Senator Lanre Tejuosho while narrating the blueprint to achieve the Universal Coverage of Health Service in Nigeria, said part of what his team was doing was to increase public finance, make Health Insurance mandatory, employ result base approaches and expand health services through the use of information communication technology (ICT).
Earlier in his presentation on Importance of Strategic Partnership: Improving access to primary healthcare, the General Manager, Philips Nigeria, Mr. George Uduku stated that healthcare must be mobile and must be sustained. He however reaffirmed his company’s preparedness to assist the ministry in giving quality healthcare to its citizenry.
One of the aims of the conference was to explore how leadership effectiveness can be enhanced and discuss practical ways to avoid leader burnout.
It also sought to help become familiar with the concept of putting the patient first at all times, and the use of effective user-friendly tools that can aid them in improving quality of care and ensuring patient safety.
