The Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) says that the Basic Health Care Provision (BHCPF), will guarantee emergency medical treatment for all Nigerians at the point of care.

Dr. Chris Isokpunwu, Secretary of the Ministerial Oversight committee, for BHCPF, FMOH, said this on Monday at a two-day capacity building with the theme “Enhancing Salience and Capacity of Health Committee of National Assembly to Catalyse Progress towards UHC”. It was organized by the Legislative Initiative for Sustainable Development (LISDEL), and partners.

LISDEL, conceived as an indigenous not-for-profit organization, has part of its mission to support health systems strengthening efforts in Nigeria, with support from partners in collaborating with the Legislative Network for Universal Health Coverage (LNUHC), to enhance the salience and capacities of key government stakeholders to effectively influence health system strengthening efforts towards achieving UHC in Nigeria.

This intervention is part of the objectives of the “Strengthening Government Partnerships and Advocacy for PHC (SPAG) Project”, being implemented by LISDEL at the national and state levels. The event is targeted at key stakeholders in the legislature to enhance the application of their roles and functions to ensure the expansion of health financial risk protection mechanisms too vulnerable populations in the country.

It includes the following objectives: Review of progress of the legislative health agenda/work plan and priorities resolved to be achieved at the inception of the current Assembly; identify approaches to mitigate challenges and set new priorities based on the outcomes of the tracking process.

Enhance the knowledge of clerks and health committee secretaries around broad health financing and UHC concepts, linked to existing reforms in Nigeria, including the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), and how their roles can strengthen their implementations.

Isokpunwu said that the BHCPF provides Emergency Medical Treatment, with 5 percent to be administered by the National Emergency Medical Treatment Committee (NEMTC) as appointed by the National Council on Health (NCH).

“It is noted that primary health care (PHC) is the foundation for the provision of health care and this fundamental role is recognized by the NHAct, in sections designed to strengthen PHC.

“The health care agenda of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is centered around the establishment of at least one fully functional primary health care center in every political ward, with the ultimate objective of ensuring UHC; the BHCPF is key to accomplishing this agenda,” he explained.

He said that the objectives of the BHCPF were; to achieve at least one fully functional public or private PHC, facility in each political ward; at least 30 percent of all wards over the next three years, 70 percent within five years, and 100 percent within seven years.

“To achieve at least 3 (three) fully functional public or private secondary health care facilities, benefitting from the BHCPF in each state; at least 50% of all states over the next 3 years, and 100% within 5 years.

“To establish effective emergency medical response services in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in five years, including national ambulance service.

“To reduce out-of-pocket expenditure by 30 percent in five years and increase financial risk protection through health insurance.

“To increase life expectancy to at least 60 years over the next 10 years,” he explained.

Dr. Francis Ukwuije, Health Economist, World Health Organization (WHO), said health financing was concerned with the mobilization, accumulation, allocation, and utilization of resources in order to help countries make progress towards objectives such as UHC.

Ukwuije said that the amount of money spent on health matters, but where the money comes from and how financing was structured was also important.

“Raise sufficient and sustainable revenues in an efficient and equitable manner.

“Manage revenues to pool health risks efficiently and equitably.

“Assure allocation of resources and purchasing of health services in an equitable as well as technical and allocative efficient manner,” he said.

He noted that health risks were highly skewed: 10 percent of the population usually consumes 60 percent of the total health expenditure; 30 percent had no expenditure.

“Individuals pay predictable amounts when healthy to cover unpredictable costs when sick or injured. Pools many risks together and generates resources to pay unpredictable large health bills.

“Equity objectives served when more healthy/wealthier people cross-subsidize less healthy/poorer people?” he explained.

According to the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Sen. Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe, the essential objective of the meeting is to build the capacity of the legislature to have a better understanding of the issues around the health sector in Nigeria.

Olorigbe said that Nigeria is still working towards the attainment of UHC.

“As legislators, we have been able to build a critical team, which is the passage of the National Health Insurance authority bill, through which we want to make health insurance mandatory and created vulnerable group fund to take care of poorest 80 percent of the population to be taken care of.

For the private sector and the formal sector, everyone can now have one form of insurance or the other, which means we can reduce out-of-pocket expenditure in the country,” he explained.

Hon. Dr. Tanko Sununu, Chairman, House Committee on Healthcare services, called for collaboration with the executive arm of government so that there would be a policy framework that is workable, and also be subjected to oversight by National Assembly, which all stakeholders are expected to be involved.

Sununu noted that the overriding objective for the BHCPF and the development of these Guidelines were to ensure efficient disbursement of the Fund to services, which catalyze improved health outcomes.

“Emphasis was also on safeguarding quality in health service delivery as well as entrenching a robust accountability and probity framework, to guarantee prudent financial management of public funds,” he noted.