Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said the Federal Government has pumped in N80 billion into the finance, acquisition and installation of critical medical equipment and expansion of production lines in some pharmaceutical companies.
The Professor of Law was speaking at a 2-day Primary Health Care Summit 2022 on Thursday in Abuja, themed “Re-Imagining Primary Health Care in Nigeria,’’ when he said this.
The Vice President noted that the intervention was necessary.
“So this year, and today especially, as we mark the four decades of the anniversary of the Alma-Ata Declaration on primary health care, we should reflect on the state of primary healthcare in Nigeria; tracking progress in some of the key component of primary health care especially public education.
“The components are proper nutrition, clean water and sanitation, maternal and child health care, immunisation, local disease control, maternal and child health care, immunization, local disease control, accessible treatment and drug provision.
“We have heard already of the exceptional progress that has been made in the provision of some of these components, the Basic Healthcare Fund seeking to address cost of healthcare for the poor, the freshly designed primary health care facilities that have steady water supply, solar power, staff quarters, perimeter fencing, and now the keke NAPEP mini ambulances.
“Also the Federal Government of Nigeria’s COVID-19 response measures, including the health sector component of the Economic Sustainability Plan, the establishment of Healthcare Sector Intervention Fund Facility which disbursed somewhere in the order of N80 billion to finance the acquisition and installation of critical medical equipment and the expansion of production lines in some pharmaceutical companies.
“There are also the WASH initiatives especially the Clean Nigeria–Use the Toilet’ Campaign led by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.
“The extensive work now being done by the National Council on Nutrition, and the National food systems dialogues and special initiatives on large scale food fortification such as the Food Processing and Nutrition Leadership (CEO) Forum led by Alhaji Aliko Dangote.’’
