DELTA State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has called for a full implementation of the universal healthcare system as encapsulated in the National Health Act 2014.

Okowa, who spoke at the 10th Annual All Fellows Congress and Scientific Conference of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria, said “an important step in this reorientation process will be a robust health insurance scheme that gives access to affordable and quality health services, backed by an effective legislation.”

According to him, “the universal healthcare is a coverage that is funded by the government and provides healthcare for citizens.” He noted that “the right to health” supersedes other rights.

He stressed that “providing affordable, quality and accessible healthcare should be a foremost cardinal policy and programme of any government because national developmental aspirations cannot succeed or be sustained unless adequate attention is paid to the population’s health status.”

Therefore, the “National Health Act remains Nigeria’s best option at achieving quality and accessible healthcare for its citizens. The National Health Act 2014 provides, for the first time, an all-encompassing legal framework for the delivery of affordable and quality healthcare in Nigeria.

“In synergy with an efficient health financing system, they ensure that quality health service becomes affordable and accessible, with citizens becoming the ultimate beneficiaries.”

The governor stressed the need for a clear national strategy that defines the comprehensive vision of a healthcare system that creates value for both the patient and the healthcare provider, and the processes required to achieve it.

He disclosed that the Executive Bill on Delta State Contributory Health Commission has been forwarded to the House of Assembly, with effort to ensure it is passed into law this year.

When passed into law, Okowa said, the bill would increase the demand for health services in the state, so he solicited the partnership of the college in attaining of this goal.

Source: Guardian Newspaper.