It’s World Health Day!
The theme is about ensuring no one has to pay out of pocket at point of care or become impoverished by healthcare. This is in line with the Sustainable Goal #3 which aims to make quality healthcare available and accessible to everyone, anytime by 2030.
Currently, only about 1% of Nigerians are covered by health insurance – an alarming statistic in a country with an estimated population of 180million people. Meanwhile it has been shown to be more a matter of political will than the wealth of a country. For example, Cuba has achieved a healthcare system that is more efficient and equally accessible by its citizens than many of its richer counterparts.
This brilliant doctor-in-a-bit Opeyemi Awofeso captures it all in her Instagram post.
The sad reality is that previously unplanned cash payments for healthcare services sinks many poor households around the world deeper into the grips of poverty. Dr Chike Opara elucidates more in his article .
This is a call to action. We all can contribute to achieving this right for all. We shouldn’t wait until someone close to us is at the point of sickness and distress before it concerns us.
Let me leave you with these salient tweets by Dr Nnewuihe Obinna , the health policy enthusiast.
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OumissaInspire
070418
Lagos
Nigeria
This is a wonderful post.
Lack of access to healthcare really needs to be addressed in our country.
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Thank you. It should be on the front burner.
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This is awesome!!
We lose thousands of people due to their inability to access good healthcare.
It’s really saddening that the biggest country in Africa hasn’t been able to surmount this problem.
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Thank you. This is true.
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Yesssss!!!! Healthcare for all!!!! Thanks for the post Mariam
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Thank you!
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That’s why I’m so thankful for the NHS which, sadly, is being pushed away for the conservative’s appealing privatisation route instead 😦
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The NHS has been successful in helping millions of people lead healthier lives including this writer. It is sad to see instead of being strengthened and exported as a model it is being stifled.
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