15% budgetary allocation to health top demands as Tinubu becomes president

Angela Onwuzoo

Stakeholders in the health sector have called on the new President, Bola Tinubu, to allocate 15 per cent of the country’s annual budget to health and reverse the trend of poor funding beleaguering the sector for years.

They also urged the 16^th President of Nigeria to prioritise health workers’ welfare and ensure that they are treated with dignity and respect, as well as provide them with favourable work conditions.

According to them, Nigeria is among the few countries that have flouted the 2001 Abuja Declaration that African countries should allocate at least 15 per cent of their budgets to the health sector.

The stakeholders while making demands during separate interviews with PUNCH Healthwise, also pleaded with  Tinubu to implement agreements reached with health workers by his predecessor.

Tinubu was sworn in as President of Nigeria today (Monday) in Abuja, amid colourful events and festive mood at the Eagle Square in Abuja.

The Oath of Office was administered by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kayode Ariwoola.

He succeeded the former President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) who on Thursday, in Abuja, handed over the transition documents to him.

Tinubu, a former Senator and governor of Lagos State was declared the winner of the February 2023 presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The candidate of the All Progressives Congress polled a total of 8,794,726 votes to defeat his closest rival of the People’s Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, who polled a total of 6,984,520 votes in the election while Peter Obi of the Labour Party, came third in the election with a total of 6,101,533 votes.

Meanwhile, Rabiu Kwankwaso of the NNPP came fourth with a total of 1,496,687 votes.

Tinubu did not make any reference to the health sector in his inaugural speech, but he touched on keynote policies and initiatives that will herald the start of his administration.

These include fuel subsidy removal, job creation, prosperity for youth, higher GDP growth, security, establishment of agricultural hubs across the country, fine-tuning of monetary policy and foreign policy, peace and stability of the West African sub-region and the African continent

Speaking with our correspondent, a former president of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Francis  Faduyile, said the new President should address the brain drain currently bedevilling the health sector and to urgently look into factors driving doctors out of the country.

He said, ” I would expect the Tinubu-led Presidency to vote more funds to health.  He should allocate 10 per cent of our national budget to health so that we can have a different course in the health system in Nigeria. The target is 15 per cent.  But he should at least allocate 10 per cent and above for a start.

“I also want him to look at the issues affecting doctors and health workers in the teaching hospitals.

“As it is now, we just discussed the resident doctors’ strike. Many promises were made to the doctors that the Federal Government has not kept.

“I think Tinubu should look at the books and try to keep to the promises. Again, his administration should look at how to retain doctors in the country,” the Consultant Pathologist said.

The World Health Organisation says Nigeria is still far from meeting the 2001 15 per cent Abuja declaration on improving the health sector.

Walter Mulombo, WHO country representative to Nigeria, stated this in Abuja in a recent meeting with journalists.

“In Nigeria, where a proposed target was set that 15 per cent of the total government budget should go to health, until today, we are still far from achieving the target,’’ he said.

In April 2001, heads of state of African Union countries met and pledged to set a target of allocating at least 15 per cent of their annual budget to improve the health sector.

President, Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, Dr. Victor Makanjuola, urged Tinubu to reform the health sector.

He said, “As the body of medical and dental specialists in Nigeria, we call His Excellency’s attention to the needed reforms in the country’s health care delivery.

“The system is currently facing challenges of funding gaps, infrastructure deficits, and a demoralised workforce. The poor motivation of healthcare workers has resulted in the ongoing migration of our scarce healthcare workforce to more developed countries.”

He urged the President to be committed to the operationalisation of the existing health-related laws such as the National Health Act 2014, and the National Health Insurance Authority Act 2022.

According to him, these laws have the potential to significantly close the existing funding gaps needed for expanding access to care by the majority of Nigerians and the attainment of Universal Health Coverage.

He said the medical community and Nigerians looked forward to seeing Tinubu’s tenure usher in an era of exponential growth and development for Nigeria.

Similarly, the Joint Health Sector Unions also appealed to the new President to prioritise structural and infrastructural development in the health sector.

JOHESU is the umbrella body of health workers’ unions and associations, including the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, the Nigeria Union of Allied Health Professionals, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, the Senior Staff Association of Universities Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes, and Associated Institutions, and the Assembly of Healthcare Professionals.

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