Public Sector Not Doing Enough for Health, Says Osinbajo

By Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said the public sector does not have the resources, not even the efficiency to do the business of development in terms of health, and it is quite clear that private public sector collaboration is the way to go.

He said even the one per cent of the Health Act is still being debated if it is in aggregation with one of the various intervention of the health sector or just a bullet per cent.

Osinbajo revealed this yesterday in Abuja on the occasion of Nigeria Service Delivery Innovation Challenge Showcase in support of the Global Financing Facility for every woman, every child.

He said a glance at the health sector value chain shows that over 60 per cent of healthcare needs are met by the private sector especially as Nigeria has set the pace for other African countries in Global Financing Facility (GFF) by lending its  support to the network after the federal governments discovery that the public sector is not doing enough.

“If you look at public sector funding, it is clear that we simply are not doing enough. We are not able to meet the 15 per cent threshold that have been set as a standard for healthcare budget.

“Even the one per cent health Act says one per cent should go to health. Although we are still in argument with the health minister about whether that one per cent is in aggregation with one of the various intervention of the health sector or just a bullet per cent. But one per cent remains an issue and  in the new invented  law, it is clear that we cannot pay for health care from public resources alone and National Health Insurance is the way to go.”

In his remarks, the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, said Nigeria’s RMNCAH and nutrition indices are still poor and this has continued to affect the attainment of national development goals with 37 per cent of children under-five being reported to be stunted.

Also, the lifetime risks of maternal death from pregnancy-related causes is one in 29 and only about 39 per cent of the women receive skilled attendance during childbirth, which has pegged total fertility rate at 5.5 while the contraceptive prevalence rate among married women is just 15 per cent. This is not to mention infant and under-5 mortality which has increased to 69/1000 and 128/1000 live births respectively.

”Nigeria’s RMNCAH+N indices are still poor and both economic and geographic disparities persist. Notably, under nutrition continues to hamper the attainment of nutritional development goals with 37% of children under-5 stunted. For too many newborns, children, adolescents, and women still dir from preventable conditions annually, especially among poor and vulnerable communities.”

“This service delivery innovation challenge is unprecedented in that it. Is the first time the Nigerian health sector has taken this approach to private sector engagement. Nigeria is also the first GFF country to define a clear pathway for integrating the private sector into its RMNCAH+N investment case. Hence, we are setting the pace for other African countries.”