Some stakeholders in the health sector are seeking the establishment of a specialized bank that will promote the growth of the sector.
According to the stakeholders, the setting up of a Health Development Bank of Nigeria will help in resolving the sector’s financial challenges.
The stakeholders, made up of seven state health commissioners, executive secretaries of primary healthcare development agencies in the states made the call on Thursday in Abuja for the founding of the specialized health bank.
The states represented at a planning and review meeting aimed at strengthening the country’s health system were Ekiti, Imo, Nasarawa and Rivers.
Bauchi, Adamawa, Sokoto and the Federal Capital Territory, as well as the states health insurance agencies were also at the meeting organized by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ).
Others present are the meeting were representatives of the Federal Ministry of Health and Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning.
Mr Eze Onyekwere, CSJ Lead Director, stated that a specialized bank was needed to help finance most of the capital projects in the nation’s health sector.
He noted that most health equipment were capital intensive and hence the need for a special bank to finance their procurement.
“We are asking for a specialized health bank that will be funding healthcare such as the intervention done in the industrial and the agricultural sectors by the Bank of Industry and the Bank of Agriculture, respectively.
“The specialized health bank will be financing health equipment and other healthcare needs at single digit rate and also meeting many other conditions.
“This bank will make health services affordable to the ordinary Nigerians… loans will be made available to patients who will pay back with little interest.
Onyekwere said with this arrangement whatever money the government budgeted for the health sector would go a long way in tackling other challenges.
“This is the idea behind the health development bank. It is a special bank beyond budgetary allocation, beyond health insurance fund and it will focus on the strategic needs of the health sector,” he said.
He said that the meeting was also to draw attention to the need for improved healthcare delivery, health budgeting and access to enrolment into the health insurance schemes in states.
Onyekwere said that the meeting was also to canvass for more funding of the health sector.
The meeting was organized with the support of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and it was targeted at Strengthening Civic Advocacy and Local Engagement (SCALE) projects.
