Posted on: Tue 14-12-2021

Nigerian Medical Association, NMA yesterday warned the Federal government to ensure that the harsh effects of the subsidy removal do not outweigh the gains.

Speaking during the 2021 National Executive Council meeting in Sokoto, the President of the association, Prof. Innocent Ujah said that government needs to be mindful of the possible negative impact of subsidy removal on every aspect of life.

“NMA takes cognizant of the attendant ills of the current fuel subsidy regime and agreed that corrective measures should be applied. “It, therefore, called on the federal government to ensure that the harsh effects of the subsidy removal do not outweigh the gains.

“The possible negative impact on transportation, prices of food, other goods and services, and healthcare services must be addressed such that Nigerians are not overburdened with the harsh economic climate.”

In a Communiqué issued at the end of the NEC meeting, Ujah said that in the face of disease outbreaks, the government at all levels must institute more rigorous and continuous surveillance systems.  

“Improve international co-operation and data sharing and rebuilding of public health infrastructure to prevent and control vector-borne and zoonotic diseases.” he added.

The association regretted that two decades after, Nigeria has been unable to achieve the “Abuja Declaration of 2001” of allocating at least 15 per cent of its national budget to health, with the 2022 budgetary allocation to health, still remains at 4.3 per cent of the appropriation.  

NEC called on governments to urgently take strategic steps to address the threats to human resources in the health sector while appealing to doctors and other healthcare professionals to reconsider the highly tempting offers to stay back home as a mark of patriotism to contribute to national development.

NEC noted that the consequences of non-intervention include acute shortages of highly trained Doctors, increasing waiting time, poor health outcomes and unabating medical tourism resulting in huge losses in foreign exchange.

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