December 13, (THEWILL) – Panelists and medical experts at a one-day symposium in Lagos have called for the adoption and continuation of sustainable options for healthcare financing, not only in Lagos State but in Nigeria as a whole. The symposium, organised by a not-for-profit organisation, BOSKOH Healthcare Mission International (HMI), was meant to set an agenda on the need for aspirants into political offices, to include in their plans the provision of access to healthcare in underserved and vulnerable communities to improve the health, wellness, and quality of life of the population mostly in need, ahead of the 2023 General Election.
Featuring some of the best minds in the medical field in Lagos State and even beyond, participants converged on the Adeyemi Bero Conference Hall of the State Government Secretariat in Alausa, Ikeja, on Monday, December 12, 2022, to deliberate on the theme, Health-Care Financing: The Sustainable Options. The symposium was also positioned against the backdrop of the campaign for the re-election of the Lagos State governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, on one hand, and the presidential bid of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima, the presidential flag bearers of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The symposium, which also came in timely because of the need to revamp Nigeria’s health sector as the country prepares for the polls in next year’s General Elections to elect leaders that will lead the country for another four years, became necessary as Nigerians move to elect candidates that have demonstrated acumen for developing the health sector in order to bring their expertise to bear at the national level.
Welcoming guests to the event, CEO of BOSKOH-HMI, Nike Osa, explained the aims and objectives of the non-profit health service provider as she gave a brief rundown of the schedule for the day’s activities even as she expressed gratitude to the governor, the deputy governor and their wives for what she described as “all the tremendous support” BOSKOH had received from them. She thereafter sent a positive message of “Renewed Hope”, the motto of the APC presidential campaign, praying that not only will Tinubu triumph at the poll but Sanwo-Olu will also return for a second term.
Goodwill message from the Lagos State Secretariat of the ruling APC was delivered by Fouad Oki while Dr. Karim presented the HTC4BAT Organisation’s solidarity message.
Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotosho, set the tone for the symposium with his exposition of Governor Sanwo-Olu’s achievements from 2019 to date as he explained what the Sanwo-Olu Administration had done in terms of infrastructural developments across the State in the past four years. Reeling out impressive figures of classroom constructions, road development and the near-completion of the Blue and Red Railway Lines, Omotosho expressed optimism that the government would do more with another mandate just as Tinubu will do as the next President.
The State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, who represented the state governor, Sanwo-Olu, at the event, delivered a presentation on the achievements of the healthcare component of the THEMES Agenda of the Lagos State Government. Drawing the attention of those in attendance to the importance of continuity, maintaining that Lagos is the State to emulate today in terms of healthcare delivery, the Commissioner said the State Government had put in a lot of effort into collaboration and forward-thinking initiatives in healthcare delivery.
He cited the example of how the State handled the Ebola case and how the Centre for Disease Control, which was in place at the time, helped to prevent the devastating effects that could have been the case if there was nothing in place to handle the outbreak from the index case.
“The same infrastructure and preparedness came in handy when the coronavirus reached Nigeria and Lagos worked tirelessly to flatten the curve,” Prof. Abayomi maintained, as he regaled his audience with plans of projects for modern-day medical centres that take cognisance of advanced technology and climate change concerns while praising some private sector medical partners for setting the pace in Nigeria and beyond.
Also speaking at the event was Dr. Iyke Odikpo, who delivered a presentation on the healthcare component of the APC Presidential Campaign Council and National Action Plan for the Tinubu/Shettima ticket. Odikpo noted the similarities of the Lagos State Medical Strategy and the APC Campaign health component), saying he could easily deliver the same presentation as the State Health Commissioner, Abayomi, without needing to make substantial editing. However, before asking Lagosians to allow Abuja carry the Lagos health component of the THEMES Agenda in its entirety, he read through a 15-point healthcare component of the “Renewed Hope” manifesto of the Tinubu/Shettima ticket, titled “The Fix-Nigerian-Healthcare Agenda.”
A former Commissioner for Health in the State, Dr Jide Idris, also delivered the keynote paper on healthcare financing ahead of the panel discussion . The eminent panelists, who were thereafter called to the podium, included the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Professor of Public Health and Chairman of the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, Prof Akin Osibogun, who chaired the panel discussion. Others were Public Health Consultant & International Health Expert, Dr. Oyewole Owolabi ; CEO, Health Advantage Africa Powering, Pharmacist Abimbola Adebakin ; General Manager, Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA), Dr. Emmanuela Zamba ; CEO, AXA MANSARD, Health Management Organisation (HMO), Tope Adeniyi ; National President, Healthcare Providers Association of Nigeria (HCPAN), Dr. Adeyeye Arigbabuwo and Chairman, Board of Trustees, Lagos Civil Society Participation for Development (LACSOP), Barrister Ayodele Adebusoye Esq.
Dr. Idris, in his keynote address, outlined the basis of the financing function, the analysis of available data – Health Accounts, the challenges of financing, the health component of the APC manifesto and proposed options with the consideration of sustainability. He noted the importance of proper financing for the medical field, which had the potential to add about 10 per cent to the GDP while transforming into the country’s largest employer because of its employment generation and wealth creation potential. He described a model of the extent of out-of-pocket expenses that individuals incur on medical costs in low income countries and how this is not as drastic for individuals in middle and high income countries because of the involvement of private insurance, social insurance, national health insurance scheme and government budget – all of which shrink the size of out-of-pocket expenses individuals pay.
He recalled how, together with other medical professionals, they have put together an unbeatable health component in the Tinubu/Shettima ticket that will see Nigeria make advancements in health financing. He concluded with some recommendations calling for health care/financing reform, increased investment in health, the expansion of the tax base, ease of entry for private sector participation, the National Health Insurance Agency law, the institutionalisation of performance-based payments and leveraging technology.
A lively discussion followed with the panelists taking questions from the chair of the discussion, Prof Osibogun. Questions pertaining to the keynote address, the establishment of the agency law and the need to separate the regulatory agency from participating in insurance were thrown at the panelists, who did their best in educating the audience on all issues pertaining to health financing as currently exists in Nigeria.
Some questions were taken from the audience with some drawing applause for the pertinence of their inquiries while some others made intelligent contributions to the discussion. One highlight of the question and answer session involved Hon. Adejare Samuel, currently representing Agege Constituency of Lagos State in the House of Representatives . He challenged professionals, who had brilliant ideas of how to change the current system, to work with lawmakers, attend public hearings of Bills that pertain to the medical field so that these relevant knowledge are made to work for progress. These, he said, would enable Nigeria to move from its single digit health funding to significant double digits,
After the questions had been tackled and Dr. Idris had intervened to remind participants that there was the tendency to turn the symposium into another talk shop, the chair of the session, Prof Osibogun, brilliantly summed up the day’s deliberation as working to get “access to quality health services with low financial stress,” which, he said, must translate to the totality of the experience of the patient which is the patient’s satisfaction. He also praised the Lagos State Government for the legal framework its health sector operates, saying that it provides a regulatory function to maintain adherence to the rule of law, which is not perfect but can be improved upon with time.
The Health Commissioner, Prof Abayomi, returned to the podium to wrap up the symposium and he promised to act on the ideas generated by the panelists and participants. He concluded by drawing the attention of the audience to the level of continuity that has made Lagos the envy of other states because of what he termed “a concept called intelligent succession,” adding, ” that is what Lagos is famous for.” He made an analogy of the relay and the passing of batons to the Lagos experience, saying that explains why there was not a single “white elephant” project in Lagos. This, he believed, was because from the leadership foresight of Tinubu, the baton has been passed on to competent hands which has made Lagos the place to be for Nigeria, for Africa and the diaspora.
“They want to come to Lagos because of how Lagos has kept the succession going,” he said.
The Director, Medical Services and Disease Control, Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, Dr. Erinosho Ashimiu Eniola, gave a vote of thanks to wrap up the lively and very engaging event.
Speaking earlier at the event, CEO, BOSKOH – HMI, Osa, explained that the invaluable necessity to provide access to health care in vulnerable and under-represented communities is key to the primary goal of responding to medical and social emergencies with direct interventions via teams that consist of a variety of medical and non-medical volunteers, who perform free, life-saving surgeries for thousands and engage in clinical consultations and treatment for millions of vulnerable individuals. These volunteers, she disclosed, composed of medical professionals that include doctors, nurses, medical students, dentists, optometrist, pharmacists, I.T support and other medical personnel in mission hospitals and clinics around the world, saying her organisation also partakes in social works as may be considered necessary towards the realisation of their primary goal of responding to medical and social emergencies.
According to her, all of this indispensable advocacy is rooted in the founding belief of the HMI which insists that knowledge of basic health facts and access to healthcare should not be the prerogative of select nations, regions, or classes, but should be shared by as many people as possible. The not-for-profit health services provider therefore undertakes medical services that include some of the millions of people who have been excluded from today’s healthcare systems worldwide. Such an admirable objective, she confessed, is an extremely expensive pursuit because quality medical care is costly and the inflationary cycles of the Nigerian economy have only made it even more difficult.
“That is why a symposium on the precisely phrased “Health-Care Financing: The Sustainable Options” is as timely as it is necessary,” Osa said.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
