In line with the UN resolution on Universal Healthcare Coverage (UHC) by the year 2030, Nigeria’s health authorities have been urged to make concerted efforts in making sure that the country is not left behind in achieving the goal.
To be able to achieve that therefore, the need for the country to strengthen its health insurance system has been stressed considering that, that is one sure way to achieving being a signatory to all the UN resolutions and charters.
The assertion was made by the Programme Manager of the Center for Social Justice (CSJ), Fidelis Onyejegbu during a one-day validation meeting of the policy brief on the full implementation of the NHIA Act held at the Hazibal Suites, Bauchi on Tuesday.
He stressed that the health insurance scheme needs to be well strengthened, structured and available, especially for vulnerable people, the poorest of the poor, pregnant women and children under 5 years across the country.
According to him, SDG 3 which provides for the health and well-being of people can only be achieved through effective healthcare service delivery through functional health insurance schemes.
The validation meeting is targeted at Improving The Realization Of The Right To Health In Nigeria as being implemented by CSJ and funded by USAID under the Strengthening Civic Advocacy and Local Engagement (SCALE) project.
The goal of the project according to him is to contribute to improvements in the realization of the right to health in Nigeria through enhancing respect for extant laws and policies, reforming laws and policies as well as mainstreaming transparency and accountability in public health sector expenditure.
He also pointed out that the objectives are to build the capacity of cluster members and critical civil society stakeholders to effectively intervene for the improvement of the right to health; improve legal and governance frameworks of the health sector through legislative and implementation advocacy; Enhance stakeholder participation to improve transparency and accountability in health budgeting, and Increase awareness and sensitization of rights and duties on the right to health.
Fidelis Onyejegbu then said that at the end of the meeting, it was expected that the Bauchi State health contributory scheme will be made more functional and effective to improve healthcare delivery services to all manner of people in the state in accordance with the NHIA Act.
Earlier in her opening remarks, the Coordinator of Journalists for Public Health Development and Initiative (J4PD), Ms Elizabeth Nange Kah stressed the importance of using health insurance to reach people with quality healthcare service delivery.
Elizabeth Kah, therefore, stressed the importance of the validation meeting as it will further strengthen the Bauchi State health contributory scheme in line with the objectives of establishing it by the State Government.