…Begins distribution of N55.1 Basic Health Care Fund
…Launches N6trn five-year NSHDP II programme
Marcus Fatunmole (Abuja)
The Federal Government on Tuesday launched free health care for mother and children across the country.
The launch covers free ante-natal care in public primary health centres; free deliveries; free treatment for children under age five; free surgeries for women who have complications during delivery; free screening for diabetes and hepatitis; and free treatment for malaria and tuberculosis.
In what is expected to stoke a positive revolution in the nation health sector, government, through the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, said at the launch in Abuja that the programme would initially roll out in six states and cover the entire country over the next three to six months.
The programme arose from the implementation of the Basic Health Care Fund (BHCF) which kicked off during the Tuesday launch. According to the minister, there is N55.1 billion for the BHCF.
Also launched to help boost the nation’s health system was the Second National Strategic Health Development Plan (NSHDP II) The NSHDP II targets N6.071 trillion over the next five years.
Adewole said the BHCF would allow direct funding of public PHCs across the country by government.
From the fund, the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) gets 50 percent of the BHCF, and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) receives 45 percent of the fund.
The remaining five percent goes to organizations attending to health emergencies such as the National Centre for Disease Control.
Implementation of the BHCF was in fulfilment of recommendations of the National Health Act, signed into law by former President Goodluck Jonathan in December 2014. The Act demands that one percent of Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) be allocated as the Basic Health Care Fund.
NSHDP II is expected to reduce maternal mortality rate (MMR) from 576 to 400 per 100,000 live births, representing 31 percent reduction towards the attainment of global target; neo-natal mortality rate (NMR) from 39 to 26 per 1,000 live births representing 33 percent reduction towards the attainment of global target; and under-five mortality ration (U5MR) from its current 120 to 85 per 1,000 live births, representing 29 percent reduction towards the attainment of global target.
Of the N6.071 target for the NSHDP II, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has contributed $1.5m, and pledges to add more should the Nigerian government promptly make fund available for the programme.
President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, will raise two billion dollars through the private sector into the programme.
Similarly, the Gates Foundation pledged additional $75 million for immunization, others for the nation in the next five years.
The World Bank said through its Country Representative at the event that it had release $20 million for initial stage of the programme in three states of the country namely Abia, Osun and Niger.
Speaking further at the event, the Health Minister said NHSDP “is like a roadmap for achieving health policy.”
He said with the programme, Nigerians are assured of quality health system. The vision is to guarantee a healthy access to health for the nation’s population, he stated..
He pledged that the monies being contributed to the project will go direct to the Central Bank, and can be audited by contributors at any time.
The minister noted that it would be first time in the history of the nation’s primary health care system that a primary health care would be directly getting fund for improving their human resources and other miscellaneous.
He also noted that DFID also promised 60 million pounds in the next five years for the NSDHP.
“All we are asking from you state governors is just to help us put the PHCs in good shape.
President Muhammadu Buhari, who was represented by Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udo Udoma, assured that the funds would be used for the purposes they were allocated.
He decried the state of some of the nation’s health facilities and expressed optimism the programmes would ensure they are in good shape and offer needed services.
About 17 governors or their representatives were at the launch. They include Rotimi Akerodolu (Ondo); Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti) Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi) Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano) (Edo); Isiaka Oyetola, (Osun) Kashim Shettima (Borno); Godwin Obaseki (Edo)
Ekiti state governor Kayode Fayemi, spoke on behalf of the governors. He said. “We are really determined to work with the government on this. 24 of our states have promulgated the health insurance. He said there is equity fund in the laws that have been developed by the states to the health insurance fund, just to demonstrate the level of commitments in our states.
He added that “You can’t build the people without investing in health of the people, and that “in our states, no one should lose a life in the course of giving birth to others. We want to be taken to account for that.”
