Health Sector Reform Coalition (HSRC) has called on President Bola Tinubu to use, at least, N500 billion from funds earmarked for palliatives to provide health insurance coverage to an additional 30 million vulnerable Nigerians in the next 12 months.

The coalition said, at a rate of N15,000 per person, per year, N450 billion would cover the health insurance of 30 million vulnerable Nigerians.

Chairperson, Chika Offor, disclosed this while briefing journalists on the outcome of a one-day policy dialogue on Improved Health Care Financing for Revitalisation of the Health Sector, organised by HRSC and supported by Save the Children International, in Abuja.

Offor said removal of petrol subsidy is killing Nigerians, and the government needs to provide health insurance to vulnerable citizens, so that their health will not be compromised.

She decried poor health insurance coverage in the country, saying, as at June 2023, less than 18 million Nigerians or 8.5 per cent of the population had been enrolled into any of the health insurance schemes, whether public or private.

She noted that proposed cash transfers to households for feeding and transportation are good for a short term. But financial protection against illnesses is enduring and has huge returns on every naira invested.

Offor urged the President to write his name in gold as father of Universal Health Coverage (UCH) in the country.

She explained: “When you give N8,000 to people as palliative, after one week, it finishes. But when you spend N15,000 on health insurance for every Nigerian, in one year, they are sure of their health. If you give one person N8,000 and it finishes, if the person falls sick, what happens? We are saying that 30 million vulnerable Nigerians can gain from this. Give 30 vulnerable Nigerians the opportunity to live.

“HSRC has noted with concern the slow progress made by Nigeria towards realisation of UHC due to sub-optimal implementation of extant laws, policies, guidelines; inadequate political will that translates to gross underfunding of the health sector at all levels; poor leadership and coordination of various segments and tiers of the public health sector; poor service delivery and weak voices of the citizens in demanding better health and accountability.”