Gates Foundation Suggests How Nigeria Can Boost Primary Healthcare
SEATTLE, WA - MAY 04: The exterior of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is seen on May 4, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. Bill Gates and Melinda Gates announced their divorce yesterday, raising questions about the future of their foundation. (Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images)
Sunday Ehigiator
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) has suggested ways Nigeria can maximise quality, accessible healthcare, as a pathway to achieving universal healthcare (UHC).
It identified three things: expansion of healthcare programmes, increased funding for primary healthcare (PHC), and transparency in how available funds are managed.
BMGF Country Director, Dr Jeremie Zoungrana, stated this at a two-day Primary Health Care (PHC) Summit, organised by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) in Abuja at the weekend.
The summit aims to motivate stakeholders to invest and implement a Primary Health Care Revitalisation Strategy for Nigeria.
Zoungrana said PHC programmes should go beyond targeting thousands of people, noting that marginal change would not work for Nigeria.
According to him, the country requires programmes that will leverage government resources to reach millions of people.
He said there was a need to increase funding for PHC, noting that the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) would be transformational if effectively implemented.
Zoungrana said that accountability and transparency were paramount for optimal results in fund management.
“We commend the vision of the government of Nigeria to revitalise its PHC system which could not be timelier.
“This will ensure that Nigeria makes the desired progress towards providing quality health care that is accessible to Nigerians, and as a pathway to achieving UHC.
“It is great to see the prioritisation and comprehensive reform of the PHC system, given that 80 per cent of disease burden can be prevented and managed through a functional primary care system,” he said.
Noting that PHC revitalisation and reforms are a continuous process that requires periodic reviews, Zoungrana said: “First, the need to go to scale, we need to have programmes that not only reach thousands of people but millions of people. Marginal change will not work for Nigeria.
“Second, we need to increase funding for PHC. We need programmes that leverage the government’s resources that can be brought to scale to reach millions of people. BHCPF, if well implemented, could be transformational. We appreciate and commend the support of the private sector and recommendations of the HM of Finance.
“Third, Transparency. The quality of spending needs to be better managed for optimal results. This is why accountability and transparency are paramount. “
He also restated the commitment of the foundation to the implementation of the Seattle Declaration and the PHC Challenge Fund to incentivise prioritisation, reform, and financing of PHC.
