Nigeria’s health minister, Muhammad Pate, says sustained investment in health is essential for Nigeria’s economic growth and long-term development. Pate stated this on Monday in Abuja during the opening of the National Health Financing Dialogue.
The dialogue aims to build a strong evidence base to support increased and sustained financing commitments. It also seeks to facilitate policy reforms that encourage private sector involvement in the health system.
The minister stated that the dialogue would advocate sub-national health financing, explore new strategies, and enhance accountability across the health sector. According to the minister, no nation can achieve lasting prosperity without a healthy population.
Pate noted that decades of underinvestment in Nigeria’s health system had burdened families with high out-of-pocket expenses and slowed the country’s overall development. He also mentioned that the idea of achieving a quality health system without adequate financial investment was unrealistic.
“Health, wherever it is produced, is not cheap. If you want to get good health, somebody has to pay for it. That you can actually get a good-quality health system without paying for it is an illusion,” he said.
The health minister posed key questions on how to make the best use of available resources.
“So the challenge is: with what we have at this point, how do we use it wisely? How do we deploy, mobilise, and purchase efficiently? How do we stretch the few dollars we have to get the most health for our population? And as our economy grows and government revenue increases, how do we allocate more to health?” he asked.
He stressed that funding must come from both federal and state governments, as well as other organised sources, while ensuring protection of the poor and vulnerable persons.
Pate said, “If we can solve that, I believe we will begin to have a healthy health market that will see this country through this development phase as it grows and becomes a more prosperous economy. As we get more, we will spend more on health. But there has to be a market that functions so that it’s not only the government that participates. The private sector must also be involved.”
The minister also explained the crucial role of civil society.
“Civil society, represented here today, acts as a watchdog, an advocate, and a mobiliser. Their role is vital in helping build the health system we desire. It will take the whole of society to achieve that,” he stated.
The four-day dialogue brings together policymakers, development partners, health financing experts, and representatives from civil society, the media, and the health insurance sector.
