PharmAccess mobilizes public and private resources for the benefit of doctors and patients through clinical standards and quality improvements, loans for healthcare providers, health insurance, mHealth innovations and operational research.
In May, PharmAccess in collaboration with the International Facilities Services (IFS), hosted an online conference to discuss the future of healthcare in Nigeria beyond COVID-19. The goal; analyze the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare systems in Nigeria, identify barriers towards accessing healthcare and viable financing mechanisms.
Opened by Babajide Sanwa-Olu, Executive Governor of Lagos State, who began by emphasizing the importance of health Insurance in achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Sharing how the Lagos state government is currently working to ensure that its residents have access to quality and affordable healthcare without having to pay out of pocket.
The event brought together policymakers, development partners, providers of financial capital, managers of facilities, healthcare professionals, donor organizations, and relevant stakeholders from both the private and public sectors to discuss the current opportunities geared towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Nigeria.
Bababjide Fashola, Honorable Minister of Works and Housing, stated the need to separate hospital management from hospital care. According to him, hospitals should be managed and handled by certified facility managers.
Prof. Emmanuel Akinola Abayomi, Honorable Commissioner of Health Lagos State, added that the ministry is ready and prepared for tackling the COVID-19 issues based on experience and lessons learned from the Ebola crisis. Njide Ndili, PharmAccess Nigeria Country Director, emphasized the need and importance of deploying technology towards enabling access to quality healthcare delivery.
Toyin Adeniji, Executive Director, Bank of Industry, during her speech, highlighted the importance of considering the poor, the vulnerable, and women when making policies sharing “health insurance at an additional cost is a burden that we must be careful to lay on people that are already facing economic hardships. We can consider cluster insurance, an affordable solution for the vulnerable and indigent in our society”.
