…as Nigeria’s health budgetary allocation nosedives
Rivers State has promised to achieve total health coverage of residents in the state under the health insurance scheme, with its introduction of a Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP), which would provide universal health coverage (UHC) in the state, owing to the fact that free medical care programme was no longer workable in providing affordable healthcare services for the people of the state.
Incidentally, this is coming at a time Nigeria’s budgetary allocation to the health sector has continued to drop, hardly exceeding six percent, far less than the 15 percent budgetary allocation agreed by African countries at a health summit in Abuja, Nigeria in 2010, known as “Abuja Declaration 2010.
For instance, figures from the Budget Office of the Federation show that between 2000 and 2011, budgetary allocation to health hovered between 2.1 percent and 5.6 percent; which also only a 0.3 percent and 0.9 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.
The highest federal budgetary figure allocated to health was N4.971 billion in 2011.
Deputy governor of the state, Ipalibo Harry-Banigo, herself a medical doctor, stated during a meeting she held with a delegation from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Health Finance and Governance at Government House, Port Harcourt, that the Contributory Health Protection Programme was being introduced to meet the expectations of the people; noting that the scheme has the capacity of achieving Universal Health Coverage, as well as reform the habit of spending money out of pocket to receive medical attention.
An overview of health insurance scheme in Nigeria indicates that only five percent of the country’s population of 180 million is covered in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Also, over 60 percent of total health expenditure in Nigeria comes out of peoples’ pockets –ordinary Nigerians are main financers of healthcare, said Tarry Asoka, a health insurance expert, at an interaction with some media people, who would form part of ‘media advocacy for health insurance.
For the Rivers deputy governor, Banigo, “there is need for us to step up effort to enable us access affordable and quality healthcare delivery services for our people;” stressing that healthcare financing was key to achieving Universal Health Coverage.
She said Governor Nyesom Wike administration was quite committed in the provision of the necessary materials and other logistics to ensure the successful implementation of the RIVCHPP scheme; disclosing that an Executive Committee on Public Enlightenment has already met with several stakeholders to sensitise them on benefits of the incoming programme.
The Chief of Party of USAID/ Health Finance and Governance Project in Nigeria, Gafar Alawode, said the organization has already provided technical support to the State government in the design of an advocacy tool for the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP).
Alawode, a medical doctor, expressed delight with the political leadership of the Wike-led administration in the State in its policies and programmes, especially in the health sector; and assured of USAID/Health Finance and Governance’s support in the Contributory Health Insurance Scheme.
“What you spend out of pocket is more than what you will contribute under the scheme,” said Alawode.
