By Ndidi Chukwu
Nigerians can now sue the Federal Government and other health facilities if their right are denied or poorly treated by health service providers.
Chairman of Health Reform Foundation of Nigerian (HERFON), Dr. Ben Anyene disclosed this during the Health Sector Reform Coalition Meeting in Abuja.
He said with the passage of the National Health Act 2014, Nigerians now have the right to sue the Federal Government or any health facility for not making health care services available as recommended by the law.
Dr. Anyene said HERFON has gazetted the 2014 National Health Act, which make all the information contained in the Act available to the Nigerian populace.
“We have to gazette and make the general public aware of their health rights as recommended in the Act, and the unwillingness on the part of the people in government to implement the Act may force the foundation
and other partners to go radical in the demand to have the Act implemented,” Dr. Anyene said.
The HERFON Chairman said the Act has experienced funding constraints since its accent in 2014, adding that the 2016 national budget also did not capture the recommended one per cent of the nations consolidated revenue to health sector.
He said: “The one per cent fund which is an intervention fund was expected to have reflected in 2016 National budget, but it was not there, this makes me worry if people in Nigeria are even aware of what is contained in the Act”
He further stated that if the country could implement all that is in the Act, Nigeria would be able deal with some of the health issues crippling the efficiency of the nation’s health system.
