‘How Nigeria can achieve universal health coverage by 2030’

Experts are optimistic that Nigeria and indeed the rest of the world can achieve the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030.

To do that, they said the Federal Government must restructure the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) as well as operate a mandatory health scheme.

Besides, they insisted that the NHIS must become a true regulator supporting all states in the country and with viable collaboration from the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH).

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) in a report ahead of the 2019 World Health Day, with the theme “Universal Coverage: Everyone, Everywhere,” called on governments all over the world to ensure UHC by making quality health services affordable to all with three objectives of achieving it, which include ensuring everyone who needs healthcare service gets it, irrespective of their financial status, the quality of healthcare services should be good enough to improve health, as well as ensuring people who seek healthcare services should be protected from financial risk.

To meet that target, the WHO yesterday said the world needed to see one billion people benefitting from UHC in the next five years.

WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said although the world had made enormous progress in recent years against some of the world’s leading causes of death and disease, the WHO still has a lot to do to realise that vision.

Also, Executive Director of Delta State Contributory Health Commission, Dr. Ben Nkechika, told The Guardian that Nigeria could only meet the United Nations (UN) target of UHC by 2030 if government policies are properly articulated towards achieving it with good outcomes that get to every part of the country.

In another development, Indian manufacturers of medical equipment are to deliver 2,050 units of diagnostic and surgery equipment to Borno State government to furnish 25 hospitals.

In a statement yesterday in Maiduguri, Special Adviser to the Governor on Communication and Strategy, Malam Isa Gusau, said the medical equipment, to be delivered this week, were secured at discounted prices and of German standards for use in any hospital.

According to him, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Salisu Kwayabura, co-ordinated and supervised the selection of the medical equipment and negotiations before deliveries to Nigerian seaports.