Nigeria: Increase Healthcare Funding, Okolo Urges Leaders

Naomi Uzor

28 June 2011

Immediate past National President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture – (NACCIMA), Dr Simon Chukwuemeka Okolo has challenged newly inaugurated leaders in the country to increase health care financing in their respective domains to ensure the good health of their people for enhanced economic activities and growth of their economy.

The renowed medical doctor who decried the toll of malaria, and other such illnesses to the economy urged the leaders to take proactive steps to reduce the menace through environmental hygiene and cleanliness.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently ranked Nigeria as one of the countries with the highest malaria burden in the world with estimated annual death from malaria at 300,000 and another 150,000 annual deaths also traceable to cerebral Malaria should be a source of concern to the leaders.

“Although government is using the recently introduced health Insurance scheme (NHIS) to sustain the health of the people, but it is very unfortunate that this scheme and other on-going health care activities of government does not cover majority of the population especially the poor” he said, and called on the leaders to increase their health care funding and ensure speedy and efficient cost effective delivery of health services to the people” he said.

Okolo urged government to also intensify efforts at environmental cleanliness through fumigation and general cleanness of our cities and communities to reduce breathing grounds of mosquitoes that cause Malaria diseases among the people.

He decried the huge loss the nation incurs yearly due to the malaria scourge in human, funds and material and enjoined leaders to desist from paying lip service to health issues but save the nation from catastrophe.

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