Lagos Commissioner, SFH canvass sustainable healthcare system, disruption of current status quo

To achieve Universal Health Coverage, Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi has advocated sustainable health care system by disruption of the current status quo.

Speaking at the 2023 International Leadership Retreat of Society For Family Health (SFH) in Lagos recently, he identified challenges militating against achieving Universal health Coverage in the country as technology, poor infrastructure, brain drain and inability to strengthen regulatory agencies.

Represented by the Senior Health Economist and technical adviser to the Commissioner, Dr. Olamide Okulaja he said other gaps are fragmented private sector, massive exodus of health workers in response to global war talent, equipment in private centres largely underutilised, political, economic, social, environment and legal.

Specifically, he expressed concern over current state of Primary Care Health Centers (PHCs) in the country.

He observed that most PHCs are underfunded, stressing that there is also ambiguity in the ownership of the Centres.

He described Thailand as a good model of Universal Health Coverage.

In Thailand, he said there is huge investment in health infrastructure, increased allocation to the health sector and inclusive and sustainable health insurance scheme.

To bridge the gaps and achieve Universal Health Coverage, he canvasses sustainable health financing, strengthening of human resources, improving living conditions of health workers, leveraging public private partnership model for health financing and strategy.

Conclusively, he declared, “we cannot afford to build healthcare system for the poor. This is not sustainable. We must work towards building an egalitarian, sustainable healthcare for all and facilitate access to the poor and underserved.”