From Uche Henry and Ajiri Daniels, Abuja
Stakeholders in the healthcare sector and other significant players in the field have called for increased funding and concerted efforts to move healthcare up the political agenda and ensure that it takes its proper place of prominence alongside the economy, security, and other priority issues in the political discourse as the 2023 general elections draw near.
The stakeholders made their submissions at the recently concluded 8th edition of the Future of Health Conference organised by the Nigeria Health Watch and other partners in Abuja.
The hybrid conference focused on how political, social and economic factors shape individual and population health outcomes; health service development within the economic and political context, and how to create a national health service that meets the needs of all Nigerians.
Themed: “The Political Economy of Health: Investing in the Future of Nigeria”, the conference featured a stellar line-up of speakers and panelists who discussed actionable ways forward for Nigeria’s health sector.
Managing Director of Nigeria Health Watch, Vivianne Ihekweazu, stated during her opening remarks that the goal of the conference was to give important stakeholders in policy, governance, economics, and healthcare a visible, high-level forum to discuss the elements that affect Nigeria’s health policies.
She noted that if any significant progress is to be made toward achieving Universal Health Coverage and raising Nigeria’s health sector and health indices, the 2023 general election gives a unique chance to advance healthcare up the political agenda, which must be maximized.
Speaking further in a keynote address, Prof Ben Akabueze, Director General Budget Office of the Federation emphasized the importance of healthcare investment as a driver of the economy.
Akabueze who was represented by Prof Olumide Ayodele, Technical Assistant to the D-G Budget Office of the Federation, said the event provided a forum for discussing strategies for nationwide effective healthcare delivery.
The D-G, who gave a presentation on how to sustainably fund healthcare in Nigeria, stated that it is crucial for economic development and progress that access to better healthcare services be increased.
According to Akubueze, health investment services drive economic growth by increasing the labour force, increasing labour productivity, fostering innovation, and enhancing population well-being.
“It is generally said that health is wealth; a healthy population engenders economic prosperity. It is therefore imperative to ensure significant investment in health, effective delivery of healthcare services and equitable access to healthcare services in Nigeria. Health is high on Nigeria’s development agenda. In view of social economic returns of healthcare investment, a key objective of the National Development Plan 2021-2025 is to enable a healthy population,” he said.
Akabueze urged all stakeholders to be involved in lowering mortality rates and improving the workforce, arguing that primary healthcare needs to be sponsored at the local government level. He also commended the Nigeria Health Watch for consistently organising health conferences focused on topical issues.
Also in the first panel discussion, titled “The Economy of Health,” Sarah Alade, Special Adviser to the Nigerian President on Finance and Economy, placed emphasis on the need to inspire investors to discover opportunities and reasons why they should invest in the country. The pandemic, according to her, has exacerbated the relationship between the economy and healthcare more than ever before. She also pointed out that the National Development Plan (NDP) relies on human capital development to be sustainable and ultimately successful.
Alade claimed that although there has been significant national progress in healthcare delivery, it has fallen short of international standards. She listed a number of difficulties responsible for this, including a lack of finance and a low rate of health insurance penetration.
Other speakers in the first session are Lancet Nigeria commissioner, Obinna Onwujekwe; president of the Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria (SOGON) and the project director SOGON- PACFAH @Scale project, Habib Sadauki; a senior health specialist at the World Bank Group, Onoriode Ezire and founder, Flying Doctors Healthcare Investment Company, Ola Brown.