The Senate on Tuesday said that the expenditure of over $1 billion (about N305.250 billion) annually for medical treatment abroad was unacceptable.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Senator Lanre Tejuosho, who stated this at a press conference in Abuja said that the Senate was working assiduously to turn the country’s health sector around for the benefit of Nigerian.
The Ogun Central lawmaker noted that as at mid-October 2016, the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire informed his committee that the country was spending over US$1 billion annually on medical treatment abroad
He said that the minister agreed that such external expenditure was not good for the country’s economy.
He noted that at an exchange rate of N305.25 (CBN rates for 2nd February 2017), the local equivalent of the expenditure is N305.250 billion.
Senator Tejuosho lamented what he described as the appalling state of the country’s health sector, including “gross inadequate health budget, poor utilisation of health capital budget and high out-of-pocket health expenditure in Nigeria [known to be the highest in the world], are unacceptable.”
According to him, “equally intolerable is the several billions of US Dollars we spend on medical tourism.”
He noted that their closeness to the citizens has brought the direct reality of the high level of poverty as well as infant and maternal mortality rates into focus.
“For instance, a 2015 Report from the World Health Organisation (WHO) reveals that approximately 830 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth everyday even as a high percentage of all maternal deaths occur in developing countries, including Nigeria. More specifically, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that
“Every single day, Nigeria loses about 2,300 children under 5 and 145 women of child-bearing age.
“This makes the country the second largest contributor to the under-five and maternal mortality rate in the world.
“This is a scary situation of grave concern to us as representatives of the people on whose mandate we sit in this hallowed chamber.
“We solemnly empathise with our vulnerable women and children, who, from current trends, may well be seen as endangered species.
“Every passing day on radio and television, we listen to and view – with deep anxiety and compassion – the pathetic plight and appeals for assistance to hapless and helpless Nigerians, who are debilitated by one life-threatening ailment or the other.
“It is for the aforementioned reasons, that health is being given priority attention by the 8th National Assembly.
“At the level of our committee – the Senate Committee on Health – it has occurred to us that our collective incomes cannot solve the problems of all citizens who find themselves in such unfortunate situations, Tejuosho said.
He said that they are daily confronted with a myriad of questions, including “how best can we deal with these issues of access and quality of healthcare; how do we improve health facilities and services in our country; how do we stem this disturbing and growing trend of medical tourism.
The lawmaker noted that in pondering these and related questions, they began to explore the use of legislation to effect improvements in the health sector.
He said that the concerns led them to become uncommon advocates for the resuscitation of the health sector in the country.
He said that in the past few months, the National Assembly has engaged stakeholders from within and outside the shores of the country to discuss processes and mechanisms that would promote health financing, development and accountability in the country.
Tejuosho noted that in sharing experiences and comparing notes with their counterparts from other African Parliaments, ‘we came to the stark reality that the assured means we can achieve health development is by frankly engaging and addressing the critical issues relating to appropriation, oversight and the role of committees in promoting and actualizing this laudable objective.”
The lawmaker added that “in this period of recession, our goal is to achieve value. We must give all it takes to find and consolidate lasting solutions to Nigeria’s maternal and child health challenges through legislation and appropriation.”
He noted that although maternal and child health occupies an important policy space nationally and globally, “available statistics reveal a disproportionate allocation of budgetary resources.”
“We are aware that Government considers the reduction of Maternal and Child Mortality to the barest minimum very important, and for which reason it is one of the targets Strategic Development Goals in the Health sector. This indeed is a demonstration of how crucial the issue is to us and the global community.
“With the situation in the country today, a practical way to walk our way out of .the economic recession is by boosting investment in human capital, which will in turn, stimulate growth. There is a strong between health and wealth – indeed, between a healthy workforce and economic development,” he said.
He noted that despite being a signatory to the ‘2001 African Union Abuja Declaration,’ Nigeria has not met the minimum requirement of allocating 15% of the total annual budget to health.
“Not surprising, we could not meet the Millennium Development Goal [MDG] target. It should not surprise you too, that Nigeria did not meet the MDG target. Shedding the toga of the past, 2017 Budget presents a unique opportunity for us to enhance and develop our health sector. The 8th NASS is committed to improving health conditions, health standards and service delivery through realistic appropriation and judicious utilization, driven by legislative oversight. This is our policy thrust.
“We, as Senators and Members of the House of Representatives, feel the pain of the average Nigerian, more so in the face of the current recession and the attendant hardship it has brought on the people,” he said.
