New Telegraph

Reps back establishment of health bank

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila has promised that the legislature will support the calls for a bank for the health sector.
Addressing a delegation of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) led by its President, Prof. Innocent Ujah, who paid him a courtesy call in his office on Wednesday, the Speaker also assured that the House would fast-track the legislative process on a bill to repeal and reenact the Nigeria Medical and Dental Council Act.
“We’ll like to explore the idea of a health bank further. We’ll work with our doctors in the House to know how we can go about it. If you can give us a little synopsis of it, we’ll work with it,” he said.
He said the House would look at the suggestion to review the retirement age for medical doctors and other health workers.
“On the increase in budget allocation, I believe it has been increased to some extent. I don’t know the exact figure right now, but we’ll look at it. If there’s need to review it further, we’ll do that,” he added.
Against insinuations in some quarters that the health sector has the least budget of about N43 billion, Gbajabiamila said the sector actually gets over N1 trillion budgetary allocation.
Gbajabiamila assured that the 9th House would continue to prioritise the health sector with a view to ensuring better service delivery for Nigerians.
Earlier, the NMA President, Prof. Ujah, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo, said the visit was to strengthen the relationship between the Speaker’s office and the association.
He pleaded with the Speaker for the House to come up with good legislation for the health sector; enhance the remuneration and allowances of medical personnel; ensure new retirement age of consultants at 70 and others at 65; improve funding and budgetary allocation for the sector as well as establish a bank for health as in the case of agriculture and industry.

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