President Muhammadu Buhari has said his administration was in the process of implementing the National Health Act, 2014, especially in the area of the basic health care provision.
This has been an issue in the last two years as the government failed to allocate the one per cent consolidated fund in the budget as required by the Act, thereby raising concerns among stakeholders about government’s commitment to implementing the Act.
President Buhari noted that his administration is fully prepared to change the trend where majority of the people don’t have access to basic health care services in the country.
The President, who spoke at the flag off of the Primary Health Care Revitalization programme and commissioning of the Kuchigoro Primary Healthcare Centre as Model Health Care centre, said the vision of the government was to revitalize 10,000 primary healthcare facilities in the country.
He stressed that his administration will continue to ensure that greater number of Nigerians have access to quality health care services.
He said: “I want to assure Nigerians that government will continue to ensure that Nigerians have access to quality basic health care services. Accordingly, the provision in the National Health Act, 2014 for the Basic Health Care Provision Fund is in the process of being implemented. I also assure my fellow countrymen and women that our administration will fulfill all the promises made to the people.
“The provision of quality health care service will reverse the poor health indices in the country. I am hopeful that our women will no more be dying needlessly during childbirth; our children will no more be dying needlessly as a result of vaccine preventable diseases or common ailment; access to health care will not be limited because of lack of money to pay.”
He described the revitalization programme as part of the government’s commitment to put health as a top priority in the country.