By Asma’u Ahmad
A healthcare finance specialist, Dr. Olamide Okulaja, said between $25 billion and $30 billion is required to tackle Africa’s healthcare challenges.
Dr. Okulaja made the assertion in a lecture he delivered in Ilorin at the Annual General Meeting/Scientific Conference of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) chapter.
The lecture was entitled: “Public Private Partnership in Today’s Healthcare System: Prospects and Challenges.’’
He said that Africa carries 24 per cent of the disease burden in the world, adding that most poor people, inspite of their financial handicap, still access health care from the private sector.
Dr. Okulaja pointed out that the healthcare system in Africa was caught in a vicious circle between lack of demand and supply.
He called on the Federal Government to adopt Public Private Partnership (PPP) to reduce government’s struggle that was stretching its healthcare funding.
“Governments everywhere are grappling with rising healthcare costs and increased demand for healthcare services in the face of ongoing budget constraints. There are four key factors driving governments worldwide to use the PPP model for health sector improvements,’’ he said.
He said the factors included the desire to improve operation of public health services and facilities; and to expand access to higher quality services, and the opportunity to leverage private investment for the benefit of public services.
Adding that the others were the desire to formalise arrangements with non-profit partners who deliver an important share of public services and more potential partners for governments as private healthcare sector matures.
Okulaja explained that such partnerships create a powerful mechanism for addressing difficult problems by leveraging on the strengths of different partners.
The Director of Primary Healthcare in Kwara state, Dr. Michael Oguntye, who also delivered a lecture on infectious diseases, said there was a gradual decrease in the amount allotted to healthcare by government.
