OPINION: What is really the role of local govt in health care delivery in Nigeria?
Your editors should do a better job at educating your reporters. Defence, Health and Education are top 3. UBEC fund and BHCPF your reporter mentioned are statutory transfers, they cannot be altered by the President. BHCPF is funded from 1% of consolidated revenue.
Revised budget: FG gives National Assembly N27bn for renovation, cuts health, UBE voteshttps://t.co/ATuqbeeRX3
— Punch Newspapers (@MobilePunch) June 3, 2020
According to the law establishing it, 1% of the FG consolidated revenue should go to BHCPF. If our revenues are expected to drop because of falling oil prices, what would happen to the 1%? The BHCPF was established by the presidency to address the failure of the states & local government.
Who are constitutionally required to handle healthcare matters at primary health care level. The FG funds Teaching Hospitals, Federal medical centres, Specialist hospitals – neuropsychiatric and orthopedic, Research agencies, NAFDAC, NCDC, NIMR etc.
Why should the FG be responsible for a health centre in Bayewu? How much does it cost to renovate or build a health centre? With 5 – 6m a proper health centre can be built or renovated. Are we now saying that our local govts cannot raise 5m?
Some LGs earn 300m monthly as allocation from FG. Asides their allocation, they collect levies and taxes from markets, motor parks, shops, etc but they cannot renovate health centres. The FG must do it????? And we are here calling for restructuring!! What a dysfunctional society.
The FG had to create a fund to renovate health centres. Oshodi LG cannot raise enough money to renovate the health centre? Our Local govts don’t have 10m to spend on healthcare? Same way with UBEC, the FG continues to intervene in primary education adding it to the burden.
Of Federal universities, Federal Polytechnics, Federal colleges of education, Unity schools and the numerous agencies. When will your reporters ask the LG how their allocations are spent. Have you bothered to check the healthcare budget of each state?
The FG has disbursed N10bn to Lagos state for covid 19 support, 5bn to the NCDC. Established molecular laboratories in 7 states. Established a N500bn covid 19 crisis intervention fund to upgrade its health facilities nationwide. How does this amount to reduced spending?
Dr. Guendouzi
