Experts seek improved private sector input in health sector – Guardian Nigeria
Kenneth Okolie
The Chief Executive Officer of SYNLAB Nigeria, Kenneth Okolie, has called for improved regulation in Nigerian public and private health institutions.
Okolie, who made the call while speaking at the maiden session of the SYNLAB Nigeria Webinar series tagged ‘Health for All’, said more integrated private sector participation was necessary to ensure access to quality healthcare for all Nigerians.
He noted that functional Primary Health Care facilities and strong accountability frameworks that ensure professionalism and proper utilisation of available resources were essential for improving the availability and access to quality healthcare in Nigeria.
Okolie also stated that while it was public knowledge that the health sector could do more with better funding, the issues of accountability concerning improper management of available financial and other material resources within the public sector must be addressed head-on.
He added that adequate financing and effective implementation of the Universal Basic Health Coverage Act would help steer the sector from its current state to a more desirable future state.
Speaking on Health Equity, a health technology finance professional, Dr. Dami Adeyemi Levites, said that healthcare financing could help to reduce the financial barriers to accessing healthcare services through insurance coverage.
He noted that healthcare financing could reduce out-of-pocket costs for patients, stressing that out-of-pocket costs account for about 70 per cent of all healthcare expenditures in Nigeria.
He said a collaborative drive was needed for healthcare tech companies to share data and drive better healthcare outcomes for end users. He called for improved government policies and healthcare spending interventions to achieve health equity.
On Preventive Health, Dr. Chinonso Egemba, popularly known as Aproko Doctor, said Nigeria needed to focus on preventive healthcare, adding that doing so would help the individual and the nation ensure health for all.
Egemba said regular health checks, screenings, immunisation and good health-seeking behaviours would ensure the prevention of diseases.
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