Doris Obinna
Vice President Yemi Osinbanjo has said the Patient’s Bill of Right (PBoR) will translate into better quality healthcare practice in the country and called for strict compliance by healthcare professionals.
The vice president, who spoke during the PBoR launch, said: “This bill of rights is a significant contribution in establishing one of the most important rights of all humanity: the right to life and the right to adequate healthcare.”
“For what this bill embodies is potential. It is only by enforcing and ensuring sanctions that the potential can be fully realised. Without realising that potential, the bill is reduced to a mere set of words worth no more than the paper on which it has been expressed. This is not the legacy that we seek.
“In terms of policy and funding, we, as a government, are aware of the challenges of Nigeria’s health sector. And that is why we are pursuing the attainment of Universal Health Coverage for all Nigerians. For the first time ever, our 2018 budget allocates one percent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund towards the funding of key health initiatives, in compliance with the National Health Act.”
READ ALSO: Protesting Ogbomoso residents block Ilorin expressway
The vice president said the PBoR is a timely complement to these policy and funding interventions.
According to him, “It will ensure the increasing funding that is coming into healthcare in Nigeria translates into a direct improvement in the quality of the final output that one might call the ‘last mile’ phase of healthcare delivery, the very personal arena of interaction between health personnel and the beneficiaries of the healthcare.”