FG Plans To Raise Health budget by 10%

By Kasim Isa Muhammad

Kanempress

25th July 2023

Salma Ibrahim Anas, the Special Adviser to the President on Health has said the president plans to increase the annual budgetary allocation to the health sector by 10 percent.

Anas who made the statements during a health summit organized by Gatefield in Abuja disclosed the importance of demonstrating capacity and accountability to receive more support from the President in mobilizing additional resources for the health sector.

She said the current budget allocation to the health sector stands at less than five percent, which she lamented as insufficient.

She stated, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is committed to bolstering funding for the health sector and plans to start with a 10% increment from the total budget allocation, with the possibility of further increases if the allocation is utilized effectively.

To fund health initiatives, the government intends to allocate the revenue from sugar taxes directly to health projects, given the alarming consumption of sugar drinks in Nigeria, leading to non-communicable diseases responsible for nearly 29% of deaths.”

While adding that the government aims to double the number of Primary Health Care centers, increasing them from one per ward to two.

She noted that the measure is intended to improve healthcare accessibility and services across the country.

Similarly, Adewumi Emorura, the Lead Strategist at Gatefield, stressed the potential of sugar and tobacco taxes in generating funds for health and nutrition interventions.

He also recounted about the growing number of people suffering from diabetes and other health issues related to excessive sugar consumption, emphasizing the need for more allocations from taxes to address health challenges in the country.