Ex-minister Charts Way to Achieve Universal Health Coverage

Former Minister of Health, Professor Eyitayo Lambo said political will and commitment are necessary for Nigeria to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

The World Health Organization defines universal health coverage as ensuring that all people have access to health services of sufficient quality to be effective, while also ensuring that the use of these services does not expose the user to financial hardship.

Speaking with Daily Trust in Abuja, Lambo said this involves making universal health coverage a national agenda and a political goal.

He said it was necessary for all political parties to include universal health coverage in their manifestoes. “As we work towards 2019, we need to see universal health coverage in every manifesto, and when they are campaigning, universal health coverage must be one of the issues and even in the Presidential debates. If you say there is political leadership and commitment, there must be a universal health coverage mission and plan that will take us to the promise land,” he said.

He said in 2014, there was a presidential summit on UHC, and a 13 point declaration made but that there was no roadmap four years later.

Prof Lambo said “When we were leaving in May 2007, we covered about 5.5% of the population and the peak was probably in 2008 which was 7% and as we are talking today coverage is less than 5%.”