Strengthen, expand UHC to assist poor Nigerians, Ex-minister tells govt

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The Former Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, has called on government and corporate organizations to strengthen and expand the reach and number of diseases being treated in the Universal Healthcare Coverage, UHC.

“This move will greatly assist millions of poor people access quality and essential healthcare, which their out of pockets expenditure cannot cover,” Adewole said on Thursday in an opening remark at the 2023 Amaka Chiwuike-Uba International Asthma Conference, ACUBIAC 2023.

The Conference, which the Amaka Chiwuike-Uba Foundation organized, ACUF, is themed: “COVID-19 and the Future in the Past: Health Financing and Universal Health Coverage”.

Adewole, who Dr Innocent Ugwu represented, said that due to increasing poverty, it was becoming difficult for most poor people and homes to take care of their health, especially those within rural communities.

The minister also appreciated the Chairman and Board of ACUF for organizing the conference and pushing the narrative of an all-inclusive healthcare agenda.

In an address, Gov. Peter Mbah of Enugu State commended the Foundation for its stride in empowerment as well as healthcare awareness and education within the state.

Mbah, represented by Dr Ifeanyi Agujiobi, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, said that the state had passed the UHC bill into law and had commenced enrolment of residents into the UHC scheme.

“We have already enrolled 150,000 residents in the state’s UHC scheme, and we are planning to expand the coverage more,” he said.

The governor noted that the state government had been putting initiatives and programmes to enhance the health and well-being of the residents, especially those aimed at reducing the health and financial burden of families.

Earlier, Dr Uche Ojinmah, President of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), assured of the association’s continuous partnership with the foundation as it champions universal access to quality health for all Nigerians.

Ojinmah, represented by Dr Tony Onyia, the immediate past Chairman of NMA in Enugu State, noted that there was a need for a holistic approach to solving the health financing needs of Nigerians, especially for the less privileged.

Prof. Prince Udegbunam-Ele, President of the Nigerian Thoracic Society, NTS, said that the treatment and management of asthma remained a major challenge in the medical world, adding that “there is nothing as painful as acute asthma.”

According to Udegbunam-Ele, asthma remains a major headache in the medical world, while the pain of chronic asthma can be described as the grip of the devil himself.

“I must commend ACUF, its Chairman, and Board members for keeping the treatment, awareness, and support to asthmatic patients alive and going the extra mile on the illness,” he said.

Comrade Fidelis Ede, former Vice-President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, now a farmer, said that the foundation needed to push its asthma campaign down to the rural communities where there is multi-dimensional poverty and lack.

Ede said that there was a need to finance healthcare from a bottom-to-top approach, thus, putting emphasis on the grassroots people even as his organisation was willing to partner with the foundation in this direction.

Amb. Don Odunze, an evangelist, said that the clergy is currently disturbed by the rate of poverty and people, including families, are unable to meet the basic necessities of life, especially healthcare.

Odunze said that the monies being expended on entertainment and fashion in the country could better be channeled to healthcare provision, and it would make a huge difference among the people, especially the poor.

In a welcome address, Dr Chiwuike Uba, Chairman Board of Trustees ACUF, said that ACUBIAC 2023 was the third in a series of international advocacy and public-private dialogue for a better health sector environment.

The Foundation came to be after the death of Dr Uba’s wife from Asthma in 2016.

The second edition was held in 2019, and the third is coming on this year due to the Covid19 episode.

Dr. Uba said that the conference would stimulate dialogue and collaboration among stakeholders on health financing and UHC, adding that it would help to secure financial and political commitments and prioritize health funding.

“There is a need to rethink how UHC is carried out and make it a community-based issue with transparent management and involving the people notwithstanding the little contribution they will gather.

“The present coverage of UHC is still abysmally low compared with the millions of Nigerians not covered, and they live in extreme poverty in the country.

“As a nation, we must move fast and check the rate of unnecessary and poverty-induced death all around us due to lack of money or an adequately planned healthcare provision system,” he said.

Earlier, while declaring the event open, Enugu State Governor, Dr Peter Mbah, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Ifeanyi Agujiobi, encouraged people to seek medical attention when they’re sick and not to take to self-medication.

He disclosed that the state Government had done well in the health sector and had signed Law 2017 Universal Health Coverage into law and had commenced enrolment of residents into the UHC scheme.

“We have already enrolled 150,000 residents in the state’s UHC scheme, and we are planning to expand the coverage more,” he said.

Others who spoke at the event commended the Foundation for carrying out the sensitization programme, even as they urged the government to fund the health sector adequately and partner with Amaka Chiwuike-Uba Foundation, noting that the Foundation has started achieving its goals.

Fielding questions from Newsmen on the challenges of Brain drain being experienced in the country, Dr Uba said,” Brain drain is a multi-point epidemic. In terms of notification, it’s not encouraging. Brain drain does not mean Doctors are not paid. When you include health funding, most doctors and medical personnel will stay.

On the exit of doctors to other places, he posited that “it is not a waste because when they migrate, they still bring the money back. As we have social costs, we have social benefits. The cost of doing business in Nigeria is very high. Government should subsidize some of these costs Acuba is already known abroad. The government recognises what we do”, Ubah said.

He especially thanked the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Nike, Enugu, Most Rev Onyia, and others who supported the Foundation

The highlight of the event was the award presentation to those who had supported the Foundation.

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