Nigeria plans to revamp its health sector

Nigeria's Federal Executive Council recently approved 6.07 trillion naira for the implementation of the country's second health sector plan, a move aimed at strengthening the healthcare system. This plan, presented by the National Health Council earlier this year, has raised both hopes and concerns within the healthcare sector. Dr. Ifeanyi Nsofor, CEO of EpiAfric, emphasized the importance of evidence-based planning and questioned the feasibility of the budget allocation per capita. The plan, spanning five years, aims to reduce maternal mortality by 30%, but there are doubts regarding the evidence supporting this target. Nsofor raised key concerns about the need for government leadership and innovative financing mechanisms to ensure the plan's success. The shortcomings of previous health sector plans, which focused on health system strengthening, were highlighted, with a lack of government leadership identified as a major hurdle. Inadequate funding, particularly the failure to allocate the recommended 13% of the annual budget to healthcare, has plagued Nigeria's healthcare sector for years. Despite global and continental calls for universal health coverage, Nigeria's National Health Insurance Scheme has struggled to provide coverage for more than 1% of the population. While advocating for increased government budget allocation, Nsofor stressed the importance of innovative financing solutions, including widespread health insurance coverage and tax funding at various government levels. Recent progress in state-level health insurance laws is a step in the right direction, with 18 states already onboard with mandatory health insurance implementation.