Nigeria’s proposal of integrating 28,000 healthcare personnel who were previously funded by the US into its national healthcare system was revealed by Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare.
In an interview with Channels Television’s Hard Copy program late Friday, February 14, which our correspondent watched, Pate described the government’s strategy to guarantee that the progress made against HIV, TB, and malaria is maintained as the US government realigns its funding priorities.
The minister emphasised that although the Nigerian government, including the state governments, is aiming to increase healthcare spending, hospitals, the pharmaceutical industry, and private sector players must also increase their share.
He asserts that this will enable Nigeria’s healthcare system to serve its citizens and maybe other regions of the continent.
“Our total health spend in Nigeria, the total health exposure: 30 per cent is public, 70 per cent is private. So, the component of overseas development assistance for health is not the largest chunk of our health expenditure.
“It has been significant. We’re a very large country and while we talk about the total health expenditure overall 70 per cent is domestic private and the 30 per cent that comprises the public as well as the overseas development assistance, I will say about $67 per capita is what the external development assistance is about. Now, that is about $67 per capita if you multiply by 200 million Nigerians, that’s about the figure,” the minister said.
Pate further stressed that the US government had contributed significantly to Nigeria’s healthcare, citing support for HIV, TB, and malaria.
He, however, noted that much of those resources are not channelled through government systems, adding that they’re channelled through implementing partners outside the government.
Notably, the policy shift, which has led to a significant reduction in US support for health initiatives, has been a growing concern for many Nigerians, including public health stakeholders.
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Minister Pate emphasised that with the current US policy transition, Nigeria is accelerating efforts to build a resilient, self-reliant healthcare system.
“The Federal government is going to do its part. For states, we expect that they will also step in because many things happen at the state level on HIV, TB, or malaria. There are health workers, 28,000 of them who were been paid through US government support. While it has been appreciated, those health workers are Nigerians. We have to find ways to transmit them.
“Our approach, long before the change in US policy has been towards increasing national ownership, increasing domestic resources, improving our healthcare value chain and producing what we use, strengthening our resilience through surveillance, laboratory systems so that we deal with infectious diseases,” he added.
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