By Agboola Bayo
Ibadan
Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday said the federal government was embarking on comprehensive re-tooling of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Osinbajo stated this in Ibadan while speaking at the activities marking the grand finale of the 60th anniversary of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.
According to him, in doing this, all the eight teaching hospitals in the country including the UCH are being rejuvenated under the 2018 fiscal budget.
He, however, tasked all the tertiary healthcare institutions in the country to rise up to the challenges of technology, while Nigerians on their parts should join hands with the federal government under its Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiatives, noting that “government alone cannot solely fund effective healthcare in a situation where about N1.3 trillion making 30 per cent of the Budget is going to the infrastructure.”
Also speaking, former President Olusegun Obasanjo blamed the negative development in the country’s health sector on “poor funding challenges, ageing infrastructure and recurrent strike actions of the health workers.”
Represented by Dr. Femi Majekodunmi, Obasanjo while lamenting the steady trend of the incidence of cancer-related deaths and deaths emanating from non-communicable diseases urged the UCH management to “come up with a robust plan that will see the institution transcend mediocrity and attain a more enviable position in the world rankings.”
“At 60, the University College Hospital, Ibadan, has truly led the other health care institutions in top class health care deliver, real cutting edge research and I know that it is the preferred choice for training by every professional group in the health sector,” he said.
