Stakeholders call for review of National Health Policy, Health Act

VARIOUS stakeholders have canvassed for a review of the nation’s health policies if the nation’s health sector is to deliver the expected results.

In particular, they called for a scrutiny of the National Health Policy, 2016 and the National Health Act, 2014 with a view to modifying them to meet present realities in the health sector.

They made this call at the 6th Biomedical Scientific Conference of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) Oyo State Hospitals’ Management Board Chapter (OYSHMB) held in Ibadan.

Pointing to a barrage of existing health laws, the keynote speaker at the conference, Dr Toyosi Raheem said a modification of the various laws will improve health care delivery in the nation.

Raheem asked that a review and research into the existing policies be done to ascertain if they are achieving the desired results.

He identified challenges of health policy implementation to include inadequate funding, corruption, insufficient human and material resources.

Raheem said: “There are a number of policies that are obsolete; especially health policies need to be evaluated. We need to ask why these policies are not giving the expected gains in the various health facilities.”

Furthermore, Raheem called for the creation of a directorate for medical lab scientists in ministries of health or hospital management boards to tackle the menace of quacks operating illegal and substandard laboratories in Nigeria.

Chairman, Oyo State Civil Service Commission, Kamoru Aderibigbe, who chaired the occasion, noted that the challenge of achieving effective health care delivery and attaining good health for the patients at best total costs and value for money is due to problematic policies in Nigeria.

He noted that policies must be re-jigged to improve the cost-benefit balance in health care delivery in Nigeria.

To better the nation’s health system, Aderibigbe called for more solid operational research to identify the root and develop practical models for not only building but also maintaining medical laboratory capacity and service in Nigeria.

He, therefore, noted that continuous training and re-training on aspects of productivity and quality management system will boost professionalism and reduce the cost of accessing effective health care in Nigeria.

With necessary modification and implementation of relevant health policies, Aderibigbe said the nation will achieve a better health care system and attain sustainable development.

In her remarks, Chairman, AMSLN, OYSMHB, Mrs Akinbile Adebola noted that the nation must have proactive policies such that it is not health emergencies, diseases outbreaks that prompt actions.

She also noted the need to examine the National Health Policy 2016 and other defunct health policies with a view to improving them in line with today’s realities.