The Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Alex A. Okoh, has assured that the proposed reforms in the health sector being canvassed by the agency would not involve government’s divestiture from any health facility.
In a statement by Head, Public Communications of BPE, Amina Tukur Othman, Mr. Okoh explained that rather the reforms would help to reposition the sector for increased private sector participation and funding thereby improving access to quality healthcare for all and reverse the country’s poor health indices.
He made the remark at the inauguration of the Project Delivery Team (PDT) for the Nigeria Health Sector Reform at the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) on Tuesday in Abuja.
The Director General who was represented by the Director, Post Transaction Management Department of the Bureau, Mallam Yusuf Adamu, further explained that the health sector reform is a joint initiative of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) to take a comprehensive, holistic, partnership-based reform of the sector in order to address the sectors challenges.
The Project Delivery Team is expected to effectively drive the reform process and make necessary recommendations to the Health Reform Steering Committee (HSRSC).
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Alhaji Abdulaziz Mashi Abdullahi, who inaugurated the committee charged the committee to work assiduously to meet the desired goals.
He said though the task ahead for the members of the PDT as highlighted in the Terms of Reference (TOR) may be daunting, it is achievable as this is done in many other developing countries.
The PDT is charged with: interfacing with and reviewing the reports of the consultancies and make recommendation to the Steering Committee; developing a detailed project plan for the reform of the health sector; design and drive stakeholder’s sensitization and engagement strategies for a successful reform; and develop a process for identification and selection of the most suitable investors for the health sector and carry out any other activities that may be necessary to ensure successful reform of the Nigerian health sector.
