N900bn Budgeted For Health Sector In 2016

             

About N900 billion which is a 15% of‎ the proposed 2016 annual budget is expected in the health sector to primarily cater for the basic healthcare needs of Nigerians.

With this on ground, based on the Primary Healthcare Act, child- maternal mortality is expected to be a thing of the past, judging from the fact that the maternal- mortality ratio has dropped by just 41% between 1990 and 2010, thereby making Nigeria one of the dangerous places in the world for women to give birth, with a record of 560 deaths per 100,000 live births after India which tops the chart.


This was revealed Tuesday, by the Country Director, One Campaign, Mr Edwin Ikhuoria, at the national launch of the “Not Again” campaign on the reduction of maternal mortality in Nigeria which was organised by Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) in Abuja.

“There is a proposal of about six trillion naira for the 2016 budget, and if 15% of it is given to the health sector, then the sector will have about N900 billion. Teaching hospitals are tertiary healthcare facilities ‎and so much funds go there as opposed to the basic healthcare services which has the majority of the people to take care off. With N900 billion, the rate of maternal mortality will be tackled and we are calling for it.”
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”You must demand from the people representing you to know how the health sector is being funded. You have to as ask questions and indeed, in this country, things must turn around. We must act in a way to ensure that Nigeria is the safest place to give birth.”
The founding director of WARDC, Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, in her presentation, revealed that enough has not been done to arrest the scourge and menace of maternal mortality and which has un arguably placed Nigeria as one of the worst performed countries in the fight against maternal mortality and which has fallen below international standards.

She said the colossal carnage of human life is unacceptable given that a more robust and efficient application of Nigeria’s resources could drastically reduce the numbers.
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Maternal mortality is a gigantic public health issue in Nigeria. At 560 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2014, the total of these deaths is still unacceptably high with 40,000 more with Nigeria, alongside India at 56,000 deaths, accounting for one-third of global maternal deaths.”

 -LN