By Rita Esegine
Experts in the health sector have called on politicians to prioritise the health needs of Nigerians as they gear up for the general elections scheduled to hold next year.
The health experts said this on Tuesday 22 March, 2022 in Abuja at an executive lunch/advocacy meeting to mobilise support for the implementation of Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent and Elderly Health plus Nutrition (RMNCAEH+N) in Nigeria, organised by GemHub in collaboration with the African Health Budget Network (AHBN).
According to the Coordinator AHBN, Dr. Aminu Magashi, ongoing plans of engaging political parties on the need to invest massively in the health sector was underway, even as simple messages have already been drafted targeting political actors at the states and National.
He said: “We have already the messages for the health sector to engage all the political parties and the political actors. Currently we are discussing the innovative ways to engage them and we are well ware that all the political parties are going to hold national and state Congress. This is one way all our messages would reach out to them and they are simple messages to invest more on the young people women and children.
“Let themshow the value of politics. Don’t forget that the health should be at the table, it is on the concurrent list, that is both national and state level and so we are ready engage with the political actors.”
Representative, National Advocates for Health (NA4H), Lola Mabogunje, insisted that aspiring political office holders must in clear terms, state their health plans for the people especially, on disease outbreaks.
“One thing we are trying to do is to bring the next political officeholders accountable for what they plan for 2003. We will put them on the roundtable and ask them what they have in terms of meeting the needs for health and social services.
“We are bringing them, let us see what you have? If the country goes into another health emergency what are your plans to tackle that. This is a good opportunity to make sure we get leaders who will prioritise the health needs of Nigerians.”
End.
