OPINION: Proper Financing For Primary Health Care Key To Poverty Alleviation
2 min read
This week, health commissioners from the 36 states will convene in Abuja to discuss “Financing Primary Health Care in Nigeria” at the PHC Financing Forum under the auspices of the Nigerian State Health Leadership Collaborative. The work of the State Commissioners and their partners is cut out for them – commit to improving budgetary allocation to health at the sub-national level and ensure value for money in utilizing available resources.
Improving primary health funding is critical because Nigeria’s current primary health care system does not adequately meet the needs of its population. Nigeria has one of the highest rates of out-of-pocket spending (75%) and one of the lowest rates of health insurance coverage (4%). The numbers are troubling given that approximately 40% of Nigerians live in poverty and in social conditions that contribute to poor health.
In most developing nations, primary health care fills these gaps. It is generally associated with positive health outcomes because it addresses most of a person’s health needs and targets the most vulnerable. Moreover, it is not just disease-specific but also people-centered regarding physical, mental, and social well-being, making it an influential factor in lifting people out of poverty.
Conversations about improving health care funding in Nigeria and Africa are not new. When heads of state of African Union countries met in Abuja in 2001, they set a target of allocating at least 15 percent of their annual budget to improve the health sector. Sadly, two decades after the Abuja Declaration, Nigeria is barely scratching the surface, grossly leaving healthcare underfunded with terrible health indicators described as some of the worst in Africa.
