Experts seek collective action for universal health coverage in Nigeria

Health advocates have called for collective action from state and non-state actors towards the attainment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Nigeria by 2030.

They made the call during the UHC Day commemoration roundtable organised by the UHC Forum in Abuja.

Universal Health Coverage (UHC) means that all people and communities can use preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative health services they need, of sufficient quality to be effective, while also ensuring that the use of these services does not expose the user to financial hardship.

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Convener of the Nigeria UHC Forum and executive director of the International Society of Media in Public Health (ISMPH), Chief Moji Makanjuola, said that to ensure sustainability, beyond government, UHC must also be about the people.

She said it must involve the private sector and must be an all-comers thing. “We must also ask ourselves what is available in terms of revenue. What have we done with it in the health sector? and make use advantages that are there now, like in terms of the tax reforms, what do we intend to do with it?

“So we are pointing at the fact that we must accelerate financing. And we must use what is available judiciously, so that Nigerians at every level can access quality healthcare.”

Makanjuola said non-state actors have a huge role to play in bridging gaps towards the attainment of UHC, six years to the 2030 goal.

She said there is need for them to follow up on the budget: track expenditure and utilization.

She said civil society organisations have a huge role to play and need to create a demand tool, adding that is why Nigeria UHC forum follows the money, structure, and human resources.

She added that the country cannot attain UHC if it does not close gaps in infrastructure, personnel, availability of pharmaceuticals, make health insurance work to meet the demands of the people, so people do not pay out of pocket and become more impoverished, as well as funding for the health sector among others.

The Co-convener of the Nigeria UHC Forum, Dr Gafar Alawode, said there is a plan underway by the forum to measure the service coverage index (SCI) for states using composite indicators to determine the level of improvement in access to services and level of financial protection.

He said tracking the progress of service coverage and financial protection helps to monitor efficiency in the utilisation of resources, which also forms the basis for accountability.