Dr Akinkunmi Afolabi, President, Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), on Wednesday called for the adoption of the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s 15 per cent budgetary allocation to health, to enable Nigeria to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,
Akinkunmi said this at the Scientific Conference held to commemorate the association’s Annual General Meeting and Health Week 2016 at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba.
He said that the theme: “Leaving No One Behind; The Sustainable Development Goals in Nigeria and How Healthcare Can Get Us There,’’ was geared to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) before the target date of 2030.
“As an association, the power of our mandate is to make policy statements on relevant issues in the health sector, not waiting till 2029, before we start talking about the achievements of the SDGs.
“As a nation, we must consider some certain factors to achieve these goals and the first is how much of our budget is allocated to the health sector.
“WHO recommends a 15 per cent target mark for the health sector, which a lot of NGOs and association bodies like us have been advocating, for us to achieve improved health facilities, free healthcare to citizens and the SDG three, which talk about healthy lifestyle and promotion of well-being.
“Government must increase the budgetary allocation to either meet up the WHO recommendation or something close to it,” he said.
Akinkunmi noted that enhancing the health sector towards achieving SDG three would help the nation to attain the other goals of the SDGs.
“If we can achieve SDG three, it would enable us achieve SDG one and two and the others which talk about ending poverty and achieving food security and many more, as good health enhances economic growth and reduces poverty,’’ he said.
Akinkunmi also called for the advancement of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to cover people in the informal sectors, such as the small-scale industries.
“Citizens in the small-scale industries should also be able to register under the NHIS for the expansion of the scheme.
“The NHIS presently covers very limited medications and investigation procedures; it is only when there are lots of people on the platform that it can expand,” he added. (NAN)