Senate Lauds HP+ Over Achievements In Healthcare Funding

The Senate has commended Health Policy Plus+; a non-governmental organisation over their innovative policies and support in the health sector which has yielded boosts in the nation’s health management, financing through domestic resources.
Stakeholders in the sector were also urged to explore further strategies that can consolidate on the gains of the HP+project being concluded
Chairman, Senate Committee on Primary Health Care, Senator Chukwuka Utazi (PDP,Enugu North) made the commendation at the ‘End of Project’ event of the organisation held in Abuja, recently.
Utazi, in his goodwill message, noted that Nigeria has made remarkable improvements in accessment of healthcare through various reforms in the funding of the sector even as more still needs to be done.
He said, “Recent major health reforms like the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund, which aims to increase resources for health and extend primary healthcare services across the country, represent important new funding sources, as do state-level social health insurance schemes.
“Building on the momentum of its recent health reforms Nigeria is now exploring ways to integrate HIV and TB care into existing insurance programmes.
“Expanding sources of funding for achieving coverage is one of the key roles of the USAID Health Policy Plus (HP+) Nigeria and since they launched the project just being concluded now, a lot has been achieved.
“At this juncture, let me congratulate HP+ for all the support services you have rendered to the government and the health agencies in the country.
“However, if it is still possible to design a successor project for the next few years to see how we can drive from the present mileage to the destination of Universal Health Coverage, I urge the concerned stakeholders to explore this.”
Earlier in her speech, the Country Director of HP+; Dr Frances Ilika said the group had evolved policies aimed at improving primary health care, increasing access to health care through health insurance as well as supporting a very viral policy, the Basic Health Provision Fund.
Ilika noted that Nigeria’s had largely depended on foreign donors, especially for key disease areas like HIV/AIDs and malaria but said the group has come to change narrative as HP+ is determined to raise funds locallyto finance the sector.
“Within the next five years, we will raise $662million for HIV/AIDs financing, so, we don’t have to depend on donors anymore. Then you need it,” the director said.
She further explained, “That is why health policy plus has provided support to the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) to develop a five year Domestic Resource Mobilisation Sustainability Plan.
“If this policy is fully implemented; if we implement it across all the states, we can begin to talk about owning our own HIV control and all other high burden disease control and beginning to wean off dependence on donor funding which is not sustainable.”
According to her, Nigeria’s journey toward universal health coverage was possible
Speaking at the event, the Global Project Director Health Policy Plus, Dr Sunneeta Sharma, said that the project was a global project funded by USAID.
“Health policy plus is a global project operating in over 49 countries with Nigeria as one of the countries that has implemented that project.
“It is a flagship USA project that has made a lot of impact in Nigeria.
“This is by supporting government policies including policies aimed at improving primary health care, increasing access to health care through health insurance as well as supporting a very viral policy, the Basic Health Provision Fund.

By: Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi, Abuja