By Asmau Ahmad
The private healthcare sector is serving about 50% of the Nigerian population, the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire said.
Speaking at the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria 2023 Annual Conference General meeting, he explained that the government was committed to working with them to achieve their mandate.
“The private healthcare sector in Nigeria, though largely based on urban centres, is robust and growing steadily, serving 50% of the population. The government is committed to working with them to achieve its mandate.
“The President addressed the issue of ease of doing business in the healthcare sector and the government will support entrepreneurs as much as possible with access to technology and finance because local manufacturing is a solution to certain health challenges which threaten National Health Security.”
He added that Nigeria should be self-sufficient in producing critical commodities, medicines, PPEs and supplies to take care of the population.
“The so-called Covid-19 vaccine nationalism taught us that we must not be wholly dependent on others for supplies but be to a degree self-sufficient in producing critical commodities, medicines, PPEs, and supplies to take care of our population.
“Partnerships must be built to create levers to drive public health security and universal health coverage,” Ehanire said.
Sokoto State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, reiterated the importance of the partnership with the private sector.
He assured that the NGF would continue to provide the necessary enabling environment for the private sector to operate optimally and for the partnership to thrive.
Speaking on the theme of the conference, “Building the Healthcare of Our Future,” the HFN President, Dr Pamela Ajayi, stated, “Rather than focusing on challenges, we are focusing on the solutions.
“So, we are having conversations around ‘Fiscal Framework for Promotion of Healthcare Sector Investment in Nigeria,’ and ‘Healthcare Investment and Financing.’ We are also talking about the new National Health Insurance Authority Act.”
