By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The World Health Organization, WHO, has called for increased revenue collection to ease the out-of- pocket expenditures by 10% of the health seeking population around the world.
The WHO Technical Officer, Health Financing and Public-Private Partnerships/Universal Health Coverage Life-Course Cluster in Nigeria, Dr. Francis Ukwuije stated this on Wednesday in Nasarawa State at a-3- day conference of the Association of Nigeria Health Journalists, ANHeJ.
In a presentation titled, “Health Financing for UHC and Health Security in Nigeria”, Dr. Ukwuije said that 10% of the health seeking population spends 60% of the total health expenditure as individuals, and continue to pay from their hard-earned money to cater for health-related issues.
According to the Health Financing Expert, a majority of people risk their daily income and means of survival while trying to generate huge resources to meet up unpredictable large health bills as well as providing predictable amounts when healthy to cover their unpredictable costs when sick or injured.
According to Ukwuije, raising sufficient and sustainable revenues is paramount to guaranteeing efficient and equitable access to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC), especially in Nigeria.
Manage revenues to pool health risks efficiently and equitably, he noted , as he assure that allocation of resources and purchasing of health services in an equitable as well as technical and allocative efficient manner.
Equity objectives are served when healthy or /wealthier people cross-subsidize less healthy/poorer people. UHC is Central to Achieving the SDGs, he emphasized.
Fielding questions from members disclosed that WHO has supported Nigeria’s health financing to ensure that people have quality services at an affordable cost without the risk of financial hardship linked to paying for care, adding that more effort on the part of the government is required to amplify the effort.
“Goal 3, Target 3.8 Ensure all people have access to needed key promotive, preventive, curative, and rehabilitative health services of good quality at an affordable cost without the risk of financial hardship linked to paying for care.”
“All Nigerians are covered by an essential package of health services. UHC.”
“Health financing is concerned with the mobilization, accumulation, allocation, and utilization of resources to help countries make progress towards objectives such as UHC.”
The amount of money spent on health matters, but where the money comes from and how financing is structured is also important, he stated.
