By Paul Effiong, Abuja
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Tajudeen Abbas, has lamented over low budget appropriated to the health sector every year, noting that its grossly inadequate and far below global practice.
Abbas, therefore called for adequate budgetary provisions to the sector inorder to improve the life expectancy as well as reduce infant/maternal mortality ratio across Nigeria.
Represented by Honourable Ogbodo Mitema, the speaker during a public hearing organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Healthcare Services was held at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.
He explained”, we all know the significance of having a health sector that works, the Western countries have taken bold steps to make their health sector first class and second to none and we must do the same”.
In his opening address, the Acting Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Bassey Akiba, informed that four Bills under consideration includes: A Bill for an Act to to Amend the National Residency Training Act 2018; A Bill for an Act to Amend the National Insurance Authority Act 2021; A Bill to Amend the National Tobacco Control Act; as well as A Bill to Establish the Institute of Healthcare Service Administrators of Nigeria (HB 935).
He said it was for this reason that President Bola Tinubu, recognising the urgency of this situation, prioritised healthcare as one of the pillars of his Renewed hope Agenda for Nigeria.
The “essence of the Bill is to revive the country’s healthcare sector and to ensure it receives the necessary support partnerships with the private sector within and outside Nigeria are being explored and hopefully in the not too distant future we shall see vast improvement”, he said.
According to him, the Committee on Healthcare Services and other Health related Committees of the House of Representatives and indeed the National Assembly are fully committed to doing their part by initiating and amending laws that will always be people friendly with the aim of bringing succor and positive changes in the Health sector.
It was gathered that three of the bills are an amendment bills while one is an establishment bill.
Corporate Accountability Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, in its submission presented by the organisation’s Policy and Research Officer, Zikorah Ibeh, told lawmakers that the Bill for An Act to Amend National Tobacco Smoking (Control ) Act 2015 to Impose Stiffer Penalties for Smoking of Tobacco in Public Places and For Related Matters proceeds with some changes:
According to her, the proposed Bill’ 47 represents a commendable effort to strengthen Nigeria’s tobacco control framework suggesting that to ensure the Bill achieves its intended objectives, it is essential that the recommendations outlined are taken seriously.
CAPPA then urged lawmakers to restore deleted provisions on penalties and sales restrictions, harmonizing protections for sensitive locations and maintaining the original governance structure of the National Tobacco Control Committee will significantly enhance the effectiveness of the legislation.
