Strike: Doctor tasks FG on sufficient budgetary allocation

A medical practitioner, Dr Tunji Akintade, on Wednesday ap­pealed to the Federal Gov­ernment to increase its an­nual budgetary allocation to the nation’s health sector in line with the Abuja Declara­tion of 2001.

Akintade spoke in Lagos, while commenting on the incessant strikes by health workers.

NAN reports that Akin­tade is the Chairman, As­sociation of General and Private Medical Practitio­ners of Nigeria (AGPMPN), Lagos Chapter.

The Abuja Declaration was signed in 2001 in Nige­ria by all member countries of the African Union, in­cluding Nigeria.

It recommended that, at least, 15 per cent of an­nual budget be allocated to health sector, while the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended 13 per cent.

Agency reports indicated that the health budget allo­cation for 2017 is a meagre 4.15 per cent which is N304 billion, though a marginal improvement on the 3.73 per cent figure of N221.7 billion in 2016.

The medical practitioner said that the Federal Gov­ernment should increase budgetary allocations to the sector to avoid incessant strikes by health workers.

Akintade, who is also the Medical Director, Hamaab Medical Centre, said that in­crement of health budget by 15 per cent every year would reduce strikes and meet the health workers’ demands.

He said that the recur­ring strike by workers in the nation’s health institu­tions would affect effective healthcare system in the country.

“I think what they should fight for is increment in health budget.

“Once the government increase the budget, it will solve issues of salaries, al­lowances, inadequate facili­ties, poor working environ­ment, among others.

“Going on strike regular­ly will affect the patients and effective healthcare delivery in all the health institutions”, he said.

Akintade appealed to both the Federal Govern­ment and resident doc­tors to put things in place by considering people that were in need of healthcare services.