Allocate 15% National Budget To Health Sector, NMA Tells FG

Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has called on the federal government to allocate at least 15 percent of the national budget to health as stipulated in the Abuja Declaration.

It said such improved funding by the government will be an initial step to showing commitment to the growth of the country’s ailing health sector.

The medical body which also demanded better welfare packages for its members said such will help in addressing the brain drain syndrome among health personnel in the country.

The chairman, NMA Ekiti State branch, Dr Babatunde Rosiji, stated this in Ado Ekiti, the state capital during a press conference held at the end of the branch 26th Annual General Meeting of the branch with “Medical Legislation: The Need for Inclusiveness in Achieving Stability in the Health Industry” and  sub-theme “Crisis in the Global Healthcare Manpower: Implications and Solutions’.

Rosiji said, “Now that ‘fuel subsidy is gone’, we expect the Governments at all levels to now as a matter of duty devote at least 15 per cent of the annual budget to health as stated in the Abuja Declaration.

“The safest thing to do is to develop our health sector to the point that all (mighty and commoners) will be able to access healthcare at the nearest point possible.

“I previously said, if nothing deliberate is done to rescue the health sector, native doctors will soon start running our hospitals! The neglect of the health sector is already leading to the proliferation of quacks who are now even brazenly parading themselves as doctors and even conducting graduations to induct their apprentices to the ‘Medical Profession’. If this is allowed to continue, the nation will be the sore loser!”.

Reading out the communiqué, he said, “The AGM identified with the need to remove subsidy on petroleum products which is for the overall good of our Nation as we cannot as a nation continue to shoulder the economic burden of other countries but also frowned at the delay by the FG in rolling out palliatives to match the level of suffering of average Nigerians.’’