08 Jan Health associations, AGPMPN, AHAPN urge sector reform and transparency in Nigeria’s health sector.
The Chairman of the Lagos State Chapter of AGPMPN, Dr Tunji Akintade, in an interview with PUNCH newspaper, said a reform of the health sector in Lagos State would address the challenges facing the state’s health insurance scheme, which was passed in April last year.
He addressed the cost of health in Lagos, stating that since the private sector have costs and responsibilities (taxes and levies) that government-owned hospitals do not have, the costs of running the hospitals, and by default, cost of seeking treatment, should be significantly lower in public hospitals.
But for quality health delivery, he said, it is vital that extra funds and attention be paid. Akintade also urged the state government to make available a health bank to furnish and service health facilities in the state.
There must also be clarity and transparency in the system. We do not have a real system in the health sector and that is one of the problems of the health insurance scheme,” he added.
The National Chairman, The Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN), Dr Kingsley Amibor, in a statement issued on Tuesday, called for industrial harmony in the health sector.
“We are collaborating with our parent body, the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, regulatory agencies like the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, as well as sister associations, such as the Nigerian Association of Pharmacists and Pharmaceutical Scientists in the Americas, the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, the Nigerian Association of Industrial Pharmacists, the Nigerian Association of Pharmacists in Academia and several others to achieve our corporate goals.
“We are not at loggerheads with the government. We are ready to partner with any and all groups, including the media, that will assist us to achieve our goals”. He also welcomed questions for accountability purposes, stating that the association has an ” open-door policy”, and that they intend to “maintain transparency and integrity at all times”
We hope this means better facilities, lower cost of seeking treatment and that they intend to pay wages in full and without delay in the new year.
Source: Punch Newspaper
No Comments