The motion sponsor posited that the country’s healthcare crisis cannot be resolved without Universal healthcare coverage.
The House of Representatives has asked President Bola Tinubu to allocate part of the Fuel subsidy removal savings to the provision of healthcare for vulnerable people.
This is even as it advocated for increased access to quality and affordable healthcare in Nigeria.
These were contained in a motion “Calling on the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to cover Vulnerable Nigerians”, sponsored by Bashiru Dawodu (APC, Lagos) on Tuesday.
READ ALSO: NHIA: Reps seek health coverage for vulnerable Nigerians
In his lead debate, Dawodu pointed out that economic development is not achievable without access to quality healthcare.
He observed that the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Act has failed to ensure that there’s health insurance for all citizens and legal residents.
“After 23 years, only 5 Million Nigerians have enrolled in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) while over 70% percent pay out of pocket for health care.
“And over 83 Million vulnerable populations comprising pregnant women, children under five years, persons with special needs, and the elderly are most affected, thus Nigeria is unable to meet the targets of universal coverage, thus increasing the rate of out-of-pocket health expenditure.”
The lawmaker stressed that the health care crisis cannot be resolved without Universal Health care coverage, which cannot be achieved without meeting the target of the National Health Insurance.
