Nigeria must improve on its health sector financing if the country is to meet the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) target by 2030. This was the consensus when some stakeholders gathered in Abuja on Wednesday to deliberate on ways to strengthen community systems towards achieving UHC.
Tagged “Universal Health Coverage by 2030: Driving the Agenda with community at the centre,” the event was organised by the Nigeria Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Personally Affected by HIV/AIDS (NINERELA+), a non-governmental organisation.
To achieve UHC, Innocent Ujah, president of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), said the country must strengthen its Primary Health Care system (PHC) and improve health sector financing.
Represented by Usman Galadima, Chairman Advocacy, monitoring and evaluation, NMA, he said PHCs in the country are dilapidated and can no longer provide quality services to the people.
“We have to strengthen existing health infrastructures, including primary health care system as most of the centres are dilapidated,” Mr Ujah said.
“2030 is still nine years away so we have to increase health sector financing and involve innovative means to strengthen infrastructure.”
UHC, which entails providing effective access — including financial risk protection — to essential healthcare for, at least, the poorest and the most vulnerable population, is key to achieving the world’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
It is the central target of the SDG 3, one of the 17 goals set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), a viable and people-oriented PHC system and robust financing structure is key in achieving UHC.