By Stanley Onyeka, Lagos
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, said the Federal Government was planning to engage 28,000 health workers previously being paid by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Speaking in an interview on Channels Television, Mr. Pate said the government is ready to take ownership of Nigeria’s healthcare sector amid the change in the policy by the U.S. government.
“There are health workers, 28,000 of them who are being paid through U.S. government support. While it has been appreciated, these health workers are Nigerian, we have to transit them.
“Our approach, long before the change in U.S. policy, has been to increase national ownership.”
U.S. President Donald Trump had recently ordered a funding freeze for HIV treatment in developing countries, as part of an Executive Order on foreign aid.
The Executive Order also affected the operations of USAID and other foreign interventions of the U.S. government.
Consequently, the U.S. Department of State suspended the disbursement of funds from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS relief, PEPFAR.
PEPFAR provides HIV treatment for more than 20 million people living with the disease in Nigeria and globally, including 566,000 children under 15 years of age.
Mr. Pate, while acknowledging the role played by the U.S. government in supporting Nigeria’s healthcare, also advised the federal and state governments to fill the gaps created by the suspension of U.S. aid and reduce foreign dependence.
We are a capable country, and we are determined to own up to that responsibility. If others step in and support us, we appreciate it, but we are not begging.
The Minister said: “Quality healthcare is not cheap. We, as a country, have not invested in it yet and we are asking for the highest quality healthcare.
“Domestically, we have not invested. We have, since things changed in the last 18 months, with deliberate efforts to improve investments and allocate investments to where it matters, the foundation.
“Can you believe that more than 70% of our drugs, we import them with foreign exchange that we don’t really have.
“We are a capable country, and we are determined to own up to that responsibility. If others step in and support us, we appreciate it, but we are not begging.”
However, the joint United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS in a statement had said the U.S. government approved a waiver that allowed people living with HIV to continue accessing treatment.
Recall that the Federal Executive Council (FEC), recently approved an allocation of N4.5 billion for the procurement of HIV treatment packs to support Nigerians living with HIV/AIDS.
Speaking further, the Health Minister said Nigeria has not invested heavily in the healthcare sector, adding that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is ready to change the narrative.
He revealed that more than 70% of the medications being used in Nigeria were imported, adding that the country also imported more than 99% of its medical devices.
According to Mr. Pate, 30% of the country’s health expenditure came from the government, while 70% are from private individuals.
He noted that although part of the government’s healthcare expenditure is funded by external donors, they do not constitute the largest portion of the country’s healthcare spending as widely believed.
