After four years of the enactment of the National Health Act (NHA), the vice president, Commonwealth Medical Association (CMA), Dr Osahon Enabulele, has raised concerns that the pace with which the 2014 act is being implemented is having adverse effects on the country’s indices.
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Stating that the act contained all the solutions to the challenges of Nigeria’s healthcare sector, Enebulele said the implementation of the act is “slow” and “adding to the fiscal burden” of the nation.
Enebulele made the comments at the 9th Symposium and Awards organized by the Health Writers Association of Nigeria (HEWAN) in collaboration with Maximpact Communications, in Lagos.
He also disclosed that salient aspects of the healthcare sector have been hit by the languid operationalisation of the act.
He said: ‘’Four years after the enactment of the National Health Act, we are struggling to operationalise it. This is worsening the travail of the health sector, particularly at the grassroots where the greater burden of diseases resides.
‘’The slow implementation has added to the financial burden of the citizens in their quest for quality healthcare.
‘’It has also made Nigeria’s health sector to record one of the worst health indices in the world, with high infant, child and maternal mortality rates.
‘’Medical tourism is on the increase with the country losing billions of dollars to other country’s economy. We can’t continue like this.”
Enabulele urged government at all levels to prioritise and invest in the health of citizens as part of the core objectives of advancing social justice and development.
According to him, a healthy population is an economic asset.
‘’I urge the President Muhammadu Buhari led-administration to urgently implement the NHA as it will address the problems of brain drain, weak health system, absence of universal health coverage, medical tourism and even poverty.
“Our governments should begin to accord the health sector the recognition it deserves to save the lives of citizens,’’ he said.
Dr Emmanuel Enabulele, chairman, HEWAN Board of Trustees, said the symposium was a forum to bring together health experts to brainstorm on the ways to address the challenges in the nation’s healthcare sector.
Enabulele, also a Consultant Surgeon, urged health writers to continue to give adequate reportage to the healthcare sector to draw the attention of policymakers.
He also called for a high political commitment to the health of Nigerians.
The event dubbed ‘Rewarding and Promoting Nigeria’s Healthcare Delivery System featured an award ceremony where personalities and institutions such as Dr Osahon Enabulele, Professor Maurice Iwu, Phamatex Pharmaceuticals, SynLab (former PathCare Lab), Eva Water and Lumapil Pharmaceuticals were recognised for their positive contribution to the health sector.
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