The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors has asked President Bola Tinubu to dedicate at least 15 percent of the 2024 annual budget to the health sector.
The NARD president, Dr Dele Abdullahi, expressed this in a chat with The PUNCH on Sunday. He lamented that the health sector was left out of the 2023 supplementary budget.
The Joint Health Sector Union, Nigeria, also said the health sector was too vital to be ignored in the supplementary budget.
NARD and JOHESU said it was regrettable that the health sector was not considered in the supplementary budget despite its poor condition.
The N2.18tn supplementary budget for the 2023 fiscal year was approved by the National Assembly last Monday.
The FG said the supplementary budget was for urgent matters, such as defence and security, as well as welfare packages for workers and poor Nigerians to ease the impact of petrol subsidy removal.
The NARD president said, “It is sad and unfortunate that the health sector was not included in the supplementary budget. The health sector is in a mess and a lot of things need to be fixed in the sector but it was not prioritised in the budget.
“There are other things that need to be addressed in the health sector. I hope the government will make the 2024 budget for the health sector very reasonable because Nigeria has never met the target of the Abuja Declaration since 2001.
“I hope the government will allocate at least 15 per cent of the 2024 budget to the health sector. The Abuja Declaration commitment requires the nation to ensure that 15 per cent of its annual budgetary allocation goes to health.”
Also, the Acting Chairman of JOHESU, Dr Obinna Ogbonna, said the health sector should not have been neglected in the supplementary budget since health is wealth.
“I looked through the budget and I didn’t see anything that has to do with health. Meanwhile, there are issues like the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, and the Consolidated Health Salary Structure, and workers’ welfare to deal with.
“I want to assume it’s an oversight that the health sector was not included and we will take it up with them so that they can see the need to include the health sector in the budget.”
