Health Reform Bill Underway, Says Osinbajo

Pending a full committee report review and a complete policy document appraisal, a new health reform bill that will reposition the country’s health sector for improved delivery of set objectives to Nigerians will be in the works soon.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo made the disclosure yesterday in Abuja at the closing of the two-day Presidential Health Reform Committee Retreat.

“The next steps now are to finalise subcommittee reports for the review of the full committee and produce a full committee report to guide the drafting of the policy document. And then draft a health reform Bill,” Osinbajo stated, yesterday.

The vice president in a statement issued by his spokesman, Laolu Akande, thanked the committee members for their hard work and dedication, noting that “in two days you have reached some concrete conclusions.”

He reaffirmed Buhari administration’s commitment towards ensuring that the reform objectives are achieved.

Earlier at the opening of the retreat on Monday, the vice president emphasised that the federal government’s ongoing efforts to reposition Nigeria’s healthcare delivery system must include collaboration among different levels of government and the private sector to ensure effective implementation of reforms that will cater to the needs of Nigerians in the 21st century.

President Muhammadu Buhari had in September 2021 approved the establishment of a Health Sector Reform Committee and appointed the vice president as chair of the committee, which was officially inaugurated by the VP in January 2022. The health minister, Dr Osagie Ehanire, also a member of the committee, was in attendance at the retreat and also Senator Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe, who is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Health.

Other members of the committee present at the two-day retreat included the Emir of Shonga, HRH, Dr Haliru Yahaya; DG, Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr Alex Okoh; DG, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), Mr Tunde Irukera; DG, Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Ifedayo Adetifa; former coordinator, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Dr Sani Aliyu; Lagos State commissioner of health, Prof Akin Abayomi; and lead coordinator, Presidential Health Reform Committee, Dr Nicholas Audifferen.

Also present were Dr Muhammad Saddiq; Dr Adedamola Dada; Prof Uche Amazigbo; Prof Ibrahim Abubakar and Prof Cyril Usifoh, among others.