Health sector will thrive in 2015 – Minister
igerians can look forward to better access and improved quality of health in 2015 on account of a raft of policies launched in the tenure of President Goodluck Jonathan, says Health Minister Dr Khaliru Alhassan.
“We know we still have a lot to do to ensure that our health sector is recognized as one of the best in the world, but we are on track and are putting in place the right mechanism to move the sector forward,” he said in talks with journalists.
“With team work we eradicated Ebola which is still ravaging other African countries, we worked together with all health stakeholders at all levels of government to eliminate this from our shores,” the minister said.
In December the first contingent of volunteers were deployed to help Ebola containment efforts in worst-hit Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
“This is the kind of team spirit we are working to restore in the sector, one that is patient based and centred,” he said.
But strikes and interprofessional rivalry hampered healthcare throughout 2014, despite a committee led by Ahmed Yayale set up to consider grounds of conflict.
The committee has turned in a white-paper report that could “resolve most of the tensions in the sector and hopefully we will not experience any strike this year,” said Alhassan.
The year has been greeted with positive news already—assent to the National Health Act and probable interruption of polio transmission—despite a huge dip in oil prices, on which Nigeria’s budget is benchmarked.
Cases of polio infection dropped from 56 in 2013 to only six cases last year, placing Nigeria “on the way to becoming polio free,” said the minister.
A certification is expected, “but we are not sitting on our oars,” he added. “We have introduced various new vaccines to reduce infant diseases and deaths.”
Among them, the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, could prevent up to 600,000 deaths.
It is targeted at children under age one, and is only in its first phase of rollout in 12 states.
Funding for most of health spending depends on the budget, which is heavily dependent on oil prices, raising fears about financial sourcing.
“We know that various financial experts have predicted that hard times are ahead for the country, we are already working with all our stakeholders to see how we can adjust our projections to aid us in planning better,” said Alhassan.
Speaking on the intervention in the fight against HIV/AIDS, Khaliru said government wants “a zero tolerance policy to new positive babies.”
“This is a big commitment but we are determined to see it through. We also intend to test more Nigerians [around 80 million] and also put much more persons [up to 600,000 total] on drugs. These are all plans that are in top gear. A distortion in the plan might not augur well for the country,” he added, in reference to a change in administration.
The year 2015 could see more preventive measures against malaria, considering the billions of naira and manhours lost to the disease annually.
Mosquito nets alone could cost N145.06m, as proposed in the budget.
“Massive distributions of the nets will be done nationwide as well as introducing other preventive measures like spraying of the environment to kill the lavas among others,” said Alhassan.
“We have gone quite far in our plans to reposition the health sector, and I believe having a government that already understands the policies will go a long way in helping us achieve our goals.
“We need continuity to sustain these policies, especially now, if you recall the government also launched the universal health coverage which is targeted at reducing out of pocket spending to the minimum.
“This has already started in earnest and the idea is to get a big pool that can cater for the health needs of women, children, elderly and the vulnerable persons.
“A lot of improvement and transformative changes are happening under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). We are not there yet but we are getting there,” the minister said.
On the issues of rehabilitating and equipping dilapidated hospitals, he said, “We are working with the peril times we find ourselves, this government recently commissioned the trauma centre to handle cases of bomb blast and traumatic emergencies.”
“Now most of our secondary and tertiary facilities are doing transplants which in the past were not possible, we are tackling the issues of medical tourism head on.
“Most of the surgeries sought by patients abroad can now be done conveniently here in Nigeria, and all these is due to the commitment of Mr president, Goodluck Jonathan. Nigeria need to exercise their votes judiciously,” the minister added.