Nigeria’s health system can deal with any situation if well-resourced – Osinbajo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says Nigeria’s public health system is still robust and when well resourced, can achieve greater coverage, including meeting targets set in disease prevention and eradication.

Osinbajo’s spokesman, Mr Laolu Akande, in a statement on Tuesday, said the vice president stated this when he received on a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, a delegation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The delegation was led by its President, Dr Christopher Elias and accompanied by Alhaji Aliko Dangote, founder of the Dangote Foundation.

“Clearly we need to do a lot more, perhaps what needs to happen is increasing personnel in our public healthcare system, ramping up the numbers, so that we can achieve greater coverage and do a lot more.”

“I am confident that our public health system is robust enough to deal with any situations so long as it is well resourced at the relevant times.”

“We saw that with the response to COVID-19; so, it is really just ensuring that the system is well resourced and it works, and we will be able to deliver on those targets,” he said.

Osinbajo appreciated both the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation and the Dangote foundation for their support in the country’s healthcare system.

He said the Federal Government looked forward to more collaboration with partners for the benefit of the Nigerian people.

In his remarks, Elias commended the efforts of the Federal Government in the area of human capital development despite disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He urged improved collaboration among stakeholders to address issues related to nutrition and immunisation, among other public health challenges.

On his part, the Health Minister, Dr Osagie Ehanire, who was also in attendance, commended the partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation.

He harped on the need for stakeholders to deepen cooperation in order to build stronger resilience and confidence in public healthcare delivery in Nigeria.