By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The Association of Nigeria Health Journalists, ANHEJ, has made an urgent call governments at all levels to continue to mobilize domestic funds to close up the gap in funds in the health sector amid gradual withdrawal of foreign counterpart funding.
President of ANHEJ, Joseph Kadiri, made this call on Friday at the 9th Annual Health Conference, with the theme, ” Domestic Resource Mobilization in the Face of Dwindling Foreign Grants and Aid.
In his welcome address, Kadiri, said the conference theme, “Domestic Resource Mobilization in the Face of Dwindling Foreign Grants and Aid,” underscores the urgent need to strengthen domestic financing, partnerships, and resilient health institutions.
As a way of achieving success in pulling funds to strengthen Nigeria’s health sector, Kadiri called on journalists as stakeholders to track government commitments, highlight gaps, and amplify the realities faced by Nigerian families.
He identified key conference sub-themes, including cancer research funding, maternal and newborn health advocacy, the media’s role in public health emergencies, and the fight against substandard and counterfeit drugs.
Furthermore, in his keynote address, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, disclosed that Nigeria has benefited from substantial foreign health assistance, including over $6 billion from PEPFAR, $2.5 billion from the Global Fund, $1.5 billion from the World Bank, $1.2 billion from Gavi, and $1.6 billion from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Salako noted that current shifting global priorities from health to architecture and donor transitions are creating gaps in program financing.
The minister disclosed that the government has put some initiatives into action under the Renewed Hope Agenda and the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII), such as the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), which has disbursed over N260 billion to states and the Federal Capital Territory since 2018, and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Act, mandating health insurance for all Nigerians.
In addition to innovative domestic financing efforts at the state and private sector levels, the minister said.
“Lagos State allocates over 12% of its budget to health, Kaduna State’s contributory health scheme has enrolled 1.6 million residents, and Abia State has launched a diaspora health investment fund.
“The Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria and the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority contributed over N50 billion and $200 million, respectively, to health initiatives,” he said.
He urged states to increase health budget allocations, strengthen social health insurance schemes, and implement transparent, performance-based financing. He also called on journalists to report funding flows, program impact, and gaps to strengthen public accountability.
Likewise, he concluded that strategic domestic financing, fiscal discipline, and innovative partnerships are essential to sustaining health gains and achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) for all Nigerians.
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