Action Aid Nigeria and the Public Service International (PSI) has called on the Federal Government to suspend or cancel all debt payments up to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and renegotiate debt servicing such that it does not exceed 12percent of national revenue as exceeding this level would impact negatively on public service.
The groups in commemoration of the World Public Service Day said it will tackle the menace of paucity of funds.
The Country Director , Ene Obi said Nigeria will not be able to attain the Sustainable Development goal by 2030 without considerable improvement in public health infrastructure and education.
She further said since 2014 budget for the sector had never crossed 6percent of the annual budget making the country one of the highest out of pocket health expenditure in the world which is currently at about 75percent.
On Gender Pulic Service research, Obi while speaking at the celebration yesterday said the report conducted in the North Central and Southern region revealed that most health care centers are not well maintained, while health workers in the centers are being underpaid and over burdened adding that Doctors and Nurses are not posted to grassroots health care centers.
In the same vein, an official of the PSI , Mrs Abiodun Badru in her remarks lamented that about 300 health workers infected with COVID-19 in the line of duty.
she called on the need for government to invest in the health sector being signatory to the Abuja Declaration agreement to invest at least 15 percent of the annual budget in health to achieve the Sustainable Development goal in the health sector.
