Health Journalists in Nigeria have expressed worry over the poor state of Primary Healthcare services in the country, lamenting that those in rural communities lack access to quality health as a result of out-of-pocket payments which many cannot afford.
At the 6th Annual Conference of the Association of Nigerian Health Journalists, ANHEJ, President, Hassan Zaggi, said although the primary health centres are supposed to be the first port of call for people in rural communities, mortalities are recorded daily because of extreme poverty.
He tasked the government at all levels to take the health of Nigerians seriously and make it a top of their priority.
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Zaggi speaking on the theme of the conference, “Health Security, UHC & NHIA: How Can Nigeria get it right, the Role of the Media in Perspective,” said health writers are gathered to examine the current issues in the health sector.
“Colleagues, our annual conferences afford us the opportunity to reflect and take a critical look at the nagging issues in the health sector.
“It is important that we put our brains to task in these few days to come up with workable suggestions for the government and stakeholders to consider.
“In order to eliminate the out-of-pocket payment that makes access to quality and affordable healthcare services inequitable especially amongst the indigent and vulnerable groups, the government must take the health of our people seriously because it is only a healthy society that can be productive.
“Lawmakers at both the federal, state and local government levels must also ensure they enact the relevant laws that will support and improve the attainment of UHC through health insurance.
