Stakeholders have called on the National Assembly and state governments to accelerate legislative and policy reforms to strengthen sustainable domestic health financing and reduce Nigeria’s dependence on donor support.
The call was made on Thursday in Abuja during the National Convergence on Sustainable Health Financing, organised by the Senate Committee on Health in collaboration with the Caywood Brown Foundation and other partners.
The stakeholders urged the speedy passage of pending health financing bills, increased investment in the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, expansion of the Sugar-Sweetened Beverage levy, and domestication of health financing reforms across the states.
Health minister Muhammad Pate said Nigeria had reached a critical moment when political will, legislative backing and stakeholder collaboration could transform the country’s health sector. He restated that sustainable healthcare required deliberate investment by governments at all levels.
He said the government was pursuing reforms to maximise available resources while improving efficiency and accountability.
Mr Pate urged lawmakers to pass the proposed health financing reforms and called on state legislatures to domesticate similar laws. The minister said only a few states had provided counterpart funding for the BHCPF in recent years, urging governors to fulfil their commitments.
He also advocated increased investment in primary healthcare, strategic purchasing through the National Health Insurance Authority, local manufacturing of health commodities and stronger epidemic preparedness.
According to him, efficient resource allocation and greater domestic ownership were essential to building a resilient and sustainable health system.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Ipalibo Harry-Banigo, said the proposed reforms would establish a more predictable, domestically funded health financing architecture.
Ms Harry-Banigo, sponsor of Senate bills 713 and 886, said Nigeria must progressively rely on domestic resources to finance healthcare, while development assistance complemented national investments.
She said the growing burden of non-communicable diseases, including hypertension and diabetes, underscored the need to invest more in prevention.
Chairman of the House Committee on Healthcare Services, Amos Magaji, said universal health coverage could not be financed through temporary measures. Mr Magaji said legislators would continue to provide the legal framework and oversight needed to ensure healthcare services reached Nigerians.
Jide Idris, the director-general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, called for a shift from service-based healthcare financing to prevention-focused investments.
(NAN)
