The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has called for a harmonised workable strategy to facilitate the speedy release of Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) to finance primary healthcare activities at the sub-national level.
This is contained in a communiqué signed by its Chairman and Gov. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, and issued on Thursday in Abuja after NGF’s 11th COVID-19 teleconference meeting.
It recommended that the Federal Ministry of Health and its agencies engage the National Assembly Health Committee and State Commissioners of Health to achieve the workable strategy.
The communique said that Fayemi provided the governors with an update on NGF intervention in ending the Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) strike action.
It stated that the governors thereafter resolved to review the concerns of the resident doctors and interface with the Federal and State Ministries of Health to address the concerns of resident doctors in the country.
It said they intended to achieve this by settling backlog of salaries where such existed, reintegrating residency training in state hospitals where they have been suspended, providing protective equipment and ensuring sustainable pathways to uphold the welfare of doctors in an effective and efficient manner.
The communique said that the NARD President, Dr Sokomba Aliyu, made presentation to the the governors and conveyed the concerns of resident doctors on the non-implementation of residency training in most states, non-payment of salaries and the use of inappropriate salary structures in some states.
It said Aliyu cited a particular state where a 25 per cent salary cut across board also affected resident doctors most of whom continued to work and argued that there was no basis for slashing the salaries of his members who instead of staying at home were encountering even added challenges at work.
The communique said that the governors resolved to engage with the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning to take on the new State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) Additional Financing as grants to States.
It said that the engagement was key following the momentum on fiscal accountability and sustainability generated by the current SFTAS programme and the need for sustained funding for state governments in the wake of the fiscal pressure that accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The forum also received a briefing on the harmonisation of Right of Way (RoW) charges across States and bilateral discussions with the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, geared towards promoting investments in broadband infrastructure in the country.
”The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, presented a newly developed 3-year Health Sector COVID-19 Response Action Plan aimed at repositioning the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic over a medium-term outlook.
“The minister also assured state governments of the availability of about a million Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers in the various facilities throughout the country,” the communique read in part.
It said that the forum congratulated state governments for their contributions to the delisting of Nigeria from the global polio map, as the country on June 18 attained the status of being Wild Polio-Virus-Free.
It described the achievement as a great milestone for the public health history of the country.
The communique commended the commitment of all stakeholders for their strong domestic and global financing support which was instrumental to strengthening the country’s capacity for surveillance and routine immunisation.
According to it, the stakeholders include the Federal Ministry of Health, the Dangote Foundation, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
