Senate passes National Health Bill

The Senate yesterday finally passed the National Health Bill which has for a long time suffered several setbacks in the upper chamber, following its reintroduction in the seventh senate, due to the President’s refusal to assent the bill as passed by the Sixth National Assembly.

The Bill provides for a framework for the regulation, development and management of a National Health system, and sets standards for rendering health services in the federation.
Chairman Senate Committee on Health, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa(PDP, Delta North) while briefing newsmen yesterday, stated that the Bill seeks to regulate the health industry in the country.
“There were no regulations guiding it and if there was any fault or default the person who has done wrong could not be persecuted in the law court to conclusion.”

The lawmaker further said that in terms of ensuring development of the health sector, the bill seeks to provide a basic health fund which is needed to address the health needs of Nigerians.
“It is hoped that we would be able to progress beyond that because the fund provides for at least, one per cent which means Mr. President and his cabinet could decide to improve on that quantum of money to something higher than that and beyond that fund, we also have the other 50 per cent that would be used for the development for the primary health care across the nation.”