Association of Nigeria Health Journalists (ANHEJ) has faulted the allocation of N1.33 trillion, representing five per cent of the entire 2024 Proposed Budget, to the health sector, describing it as abysmally low for health needs of over 200 million Nigerian population.

The association lamented that with the N1.33 trillion allocation, Nigeria is very far from achieving the ‘2014 Abuja Declaration,’ which stipulates the allocation of 15 per cent of the country’s yearly budget to the health sector.

President of ANHEJ, Mr Joseph Kadri, who stated this, yesterday, at the 7th Annual Conference of the Association, with the theme, ‘Health Security: Nigeria’ s Effort to Achieve Universal Health Coverage,” said that with the emerging and re-emerging epidemics and pandemics, there is need for government at all levels in the country to prioritise and adequately fund health security.

He urged the Federal Government to deploy more funds to the health sector: and to fully implement the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) and make healthcare services available.