Health Commissioners Meet on Primary Healthcare Financing
Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
Health commissioners across the country under the auspices of the Nigeria Health Commissioners’ Forum would be having a 2-day workshop beginning today in Abuja.
The event titled: ‘Primary Healthcare Financing Forum,’ was meant to discuss the role of states in Primary Health Care Financing in Nigeria.
According to a statement by the Forum, it would be a hybrid event with in-person and virtual participation.
The Nigeria Health commissioners’ forum is Nigeria’s community of practice and learning platform created by the 36 States’ health commissioners across Nigeria.
This year, in collaboration with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, they would be hosting the first collaborative event which would focus on Primary Health Care financing, particularly the role sub-national systems must play in the process.
It said that primary health centres all over the world, require adequate financing and service delivery, according to an invitation issued by the Ekiti State Commissioner for Health and Human Service, Dr. Filani Oyebanji.
The statement added that high performing health systems recognise the importance of having an effective PHC service as a key driver of achieving universal health coverage (UHC), adding that strengthening PHC strongly relies on the Primary Health Care (PHC) structures across Nigeria, to deliver individual based care and essential public health functions to all.
Although Nigeria has seen marked improvements in service delivery of primary health care, increasing financing and improving current financing arrangements can catalyse the country’s goal of achieving UHC by 2030, the statement emphasised.
Filani enumerated the objectives the event to include; taking stock of approaches to financing PHC in states, identifying common challenges and policy responses, and developing a shared understanding on the way forward for financing PHC in a comprehensive and sustainable manner.
According to Filani, “The event looks promising, which shows the importance the ecosystem places on this type of activity. We are grateful to all our partners and everyone that has registered.”
He said the Primary Health Care financing forum would attract participants from the public sector, organised private sector, development partners, the academia, civil society organisations and the media.
