July 09, (THEWILL) – The Institute of Health Service Administrators of Nigeria (IHSAN) has urged President Bola Tinubu to appropriate health sector financing with the Abuja 2021 Declaration of at least 15 percent of the annual national budget.
National President of the Institute, Pst. Rosemary Archibong, Esq, made the call in Calabar, after a successful professional development workshop for health service administrators across the country.
The 3-day professional development workshop had as its theme, “Modernizing Health Care for Better Care, Better Health and Lower Costs”.
Congratulating Bola Ahmed Tinubu on his assumption of office as the 16th President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Institute, in a communique signed by its National President, Pastor (Mrs.) Rosemary Archibong, Esq (FHAN), and National Secretary, Mr. Harrison H. Etim, FHAN, further called on the Federal Government to prioritise health-care and education funding by adhering to the 15% budgetary allocation as agreed by African Heads of State in Abuja.
IHSAN also urged the President to promote equity in professional diversity among health workers, as well as expand the scope of the National Health Insurance Authority to cover all citizens of the country.
The workshop, which was held in Markurdi, Benue State, said the health sector should be given adequate attention because it galvanized human capital, fights poverty and enables productivity among the workforce.
Pst. Archibong, who is the 1st female national president, said the Institute also called for “implementation with close monitoring and evaluation of the basic health care provision fund, ensure close monitoring of the Health Maintenance Organisations (HMO), especially in prompt and bulk payment of capitation and fee for service claims, as well as ensure that the National Health Insurance Authority works on review of the amount paid as capitation to a health-care provider.”
It said it is high time the “Federal Government ensure regular training for health-care managers to encourage digital bio-metrics membership registration, ensure implementation of Health Trust Fund policy, improve infrastructures and logistics in health institutions and promote the appropriate use of digital technologies in health-care management, as well as create an enabling environment for the private sector to participate in health-care delivery.”
IHSAN also expressed satisfaction with President Tinubu for appointing Dr. (Mrs.) Salma Ibrahim Anas as Special Adviser, Health, saying that his appointments so far are proactive and wished him a successful tenure of office.
IHSAN expressed the belief that the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Health, will adopt and implement the recommendations of the Institute.
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THEWILL Correspondent, Aniekan Bassey has over six years experience that spans across several fields in print journalism including development communication, sexual reproductive and health rights issues, crime, climate change, social justice, business and human interest stories.
