Posted on: Mon 23-01-2023

The Association of Nigerian Health Journalists (ANHEJ), has urged the Federal Government to put in place, modalities that will enable the country to attain Universal Health Coverage (UHC) so that citizens can have access to quality and affordable health care services.

The association also advised the government at all levels to design unique UHC models that can address the peculiar health needs of Nigerians.

The 6th Annual Conference of the ANHEJ has as a theme, “Health Security, UHC & NHIA: How Can Nigeria Get It Right? The Role of the Media in Perspective. The sub-theme for the Conference is: “FP2030 Targets: Is Nigeria on Track?

In a communique issued at the end of the conference, ANHEJ appealed to World Health Organization (WHO) to scale up ongoing collaborations with the federal and state governments in order to improve the health status of Nigerians.

The communique jointly signed by the President, Hassan Zaggi and the General Secretary, Nike Adebowole, read that no single UHC model is suitable for all countries, as individual countries have their peculiarities which could be approached distinctly.

The association observed that WHO has been instrumental to the growth and development of the Nigerian health sector through the provision of required technical support for proper policy formulation and implementation.

ANHEJ, therefore, expressed a determination to increase sensitization on the importance of health insurance so that political leaders, well-to-do individuals, and states and local governments can enroll their citizens in health insurance.

The association equally pledged to monitor closely, the implementation of the various health insurance packages and exposed their weaknesses so that NHIA and other relevant agencies of government can make the needed amendments for the good of all Nigerians.

The group commended the approach of the current leadership of NHIA in managing the work environment and driving the organizational goals of the agency, stressing that “it is important to sustain and strengthen same in order to realize the purpose for which NHIA was established;

Health journalists also agreed to work harmoniously with all stakeholders in the health sector towards driving the implementation of various health sector policies and strategies in the country for a healthy and productive citizenry and also pursue the full implementation of the adolescent health policy strategies geared towards the provision of sexual and reproductive health services to young people in Nigeria.

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