To hasten the development of a robust health system in the nation, Dr. Salma Anas, Special Advisor to President Bola Tinubu on Health, has urged for cooperation between the public and private sectors.
At the Future of Health Conference 2023, which took place on Thursday in Lagos, Anas made the announcement.
The Nigeria Health Watch hosted the forum, with the theme “The Private Sector as a Catalyst for a Resilient Health System”
Salma spoke to a healthy life as a fundamental human right for all Nigerians in her virtual keynote speech.
“To unlock the potential for positive growth and development, which will then contribute to our communal and national prosperity, we need a healthy population that is productive.
“Nigerians’ health is a matter of national security, requiring a strong healthcare system to assure its provision and upkeep.
The government is making significant investments in the health sector, but the private sector must take a proactive role in ensuring coverage and sustainability for progressive prosperity and responsible national growth.
She claims that in order to accomplish the targeted goals for the expansion and improvement of the health sector, the Tinubu administration has given priority to involving stakeholders, particularly the business sector.
Having purposeful and meaningful partnerships and collaborations between the public and private sectors is essential because over 70% of the nation’s overall health spending is spent privately.
The special adviser predicted that this would “help in unlocking the huge potential and improvement of the overall health sector in the country.”
Salma predicted that Nigeria would make significant advancements towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by harnessing the current prospects and potential of public-private partnerships.
She continued by saying that it would also improve access to healthcare, advance healthcare delivery, and guarantee financial security for an effective healthcare system for all Nigerians.
She claims that in order to protect the interests of both public and private parties, significant adjustments will be needed.
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Such changes, according to her, would provide defined roles and duties, solid governance frameworks, and transparent and accountable mechanisms.
“However, developing a resilient health system necessitates a multi-sectoral and multi-faceted strategy that combines the efforts of the public and private sectors to hasten the achievement of this objective.
“With this, Nigeria will have the required policy space to improve the healthcare infrastructure, the necessary staff, deploy the relevant technologies, and ensure pharmaceutical supply with supportive logistics.
“Such a strategy will promote fair access to high-quality healthcare for all of its residents while also enhancing service delivery and mobilising additional resources.
This is consistent with the Renewed Hope administration’s policy of inclusivity and collaboration, particularly between the public and private sectors, for economic development that promotes national prosperity, she said.
In her introductory remarks, Vivianne Ihekweazu, the managing director of Nigeria Health Watch, highlighted that access to high-quality healthcare was a basic right for every citizen, not a privilege.
She claims that Nigeria’s fragmented healthcare system need synchronisation.
In Nigeria, people must choose between the public and private sectors to receive healthcare, which is the reality.
Better strategic collaboration between public and private suppliers is necessary.
The complex dynamics of healthcare delivery in our nation are well captured by this year’s topic, which is “The Private Sector as a Catalyst for a Resilient Health System.
“We acknowledge that the private sector plays a crucial role in driving transformational change, not merely as a service provider.
“We need to strengthen our healthcare system to ensure its resilience in the face of challenges by leveraging the innovation and expertise within the private sector.”
Ihekweazu stated that given the fact that our statistics are trending in the wrong way, it is imperative to move more quickly towards improving health outcomes in the nation. (NAN) (
