Health

AN NGO, Connected Development (CODE), has called for improved funding for the healthcare sector at the Federal and State levels in Nigeria.

Mr Mauzu Modu, the Country Director of Follow the Money, an Initiative of CODE, made the call at a meeting it organized for health officials from states in the North-Central geo-political zone of the country.

The event held on Wednesday in Jos, had the theme ”High-Level Round Table Meeting in North-Central: Setting Agenda for the Healthcare Sector in Nigeria”.

Modu explained that the event was part of its project ”Covid-19 Transparency and Accountability in Africa (CTAD)”, co-implemented by CODE and BugiT Foundation.

He added that the project, supported by Skoll Foundation, is currently being implemented in seven African countries.

According to Modu, the meeting aimed at creating avenue for citizens to contribute toward improving the viability of the health sector, particularly at the rural levels.

”We are here as key stakeholders to set an agenda that will strengthen our health sector, particularly at the community levels.

”Our Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) are in bad shape; a survey we recently conducted revealed that only twenty per cent of PHCs across Nigeria are functional.

”So, we are advocating that more funding should go to  the health sector in order to meet the health needs of the citizens at all levels.

”We call on states to commit fifteen per cent of their total budgets to the health sector,” he called.

Modu further called on the federal government to channel the proceeds from the fuel subsidy to the health sector, insisting that such move would enable access to quality service delivery by Nigerians.(NAN)

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Tags: Mr Mauzu Modu