National Health Act to Ensure Improved Primary Health Care, Says Okowa

Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has said that the National Health Act when fully implemented would provide adequate funding for Primary Health Care Delivery in the local government areas.

Speaking yesterday during a courtesy visit by the management team of Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria led by its Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Murtade Umar-Sadiq, in Asaba, Okowa said the implementation of the National Health Act would provide quality health care for the Nigerians especially the poor and vulnerable calling on Nigerians to key into the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) for their own good.

“The National Health Act, when implemented will provide funding for primary health delivery in the country, we believe that with the synergy with the private sector, government and the people in the provision of health care, there will be a pool of resource to take care of the vulnerable in the society”, he said, stressing that “the NHIS will provide the requisite manpower and infrastructure to take the sector to a high level”

The governor observed that with the Contributory Health Insurance Scheme signed into law and the commission established, there would be improved funding for primary health care and improved health care delivery in the state.

He called on all stakeholders to ensure effective advocacy of the scheme in their jurisdiction to enable government meet the challenges in the health sector especially in the primary health care and bridge the gap for quality service delivery.

Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria, Dr. Murtaga Umar-Sadiq, stated that they were on the visit to explore partnership opportunities with Delta State Government and support the state government health programmes to provide improved health service delivery.

He said the establishment would help introduce innovations and provide resources for the advancement of primary health care in the state.