Political Will Necessary to Achieve UHC
According to Sa’ad Ahmed, the chief medical director at the Federal Medical Centre, Abuja, Nigeria can only achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) if there is an enhanced political will from those in authority.
Mr Ahmed, the keynote speaker at the opening ceremony of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), National Executive Council Meeting, stated this assertion on Thursday in Abuja.
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According to him, the government must encourage the public-private partnership to finance and deliver healthcare services. He said the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) has helped bring some funds to the health sector and that these funds had been put to proper use.
The medical director also called for more investment in primary healthcare facilities to achieve UHC, integrated technology, and measures by the government to reduce out-of-pocket expenditures. He called on all and sundry to help in the drive to strengthen the country’s health system by unlocking every value chain.
Uche-Rowland Ojinmah, the NMA national president, stated that the association was currently exploring all peaceful avenues towards securing some economic reprieve for members amid the country’s economic hardship.
