Global philanthropist and co-Chairman of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, has urged the Federal Government to prioritise the strengthening of the primary healthcare sector at all levels to achieve more in public healthcare.
Speaking during an interaction with members of the National Economic Council (NEC) at the State House, Abuja, Gates emphasised that primary healthcare is the foundation of a functional health system, yet Nigeria spends only N3,000 per person per year on primary healthcare with 70% of healthcare spending going to secondary and tertiary care.
He charged government to rather give the larger funding, which currently goes to the secondary healthcare sector to the primary healthcare sector, noting that it is the foundation and most critical facility, which achieves more of the healthcare targets of governments.
Gates highlighted the importance of data-driven decision making, realistic budgeting, and timely release of funds to support primary healthcare.
He commended the Ministry of Health’s quarterly performance dialogues with states to review health data and encouraged continued engagement in this process.
The philanthropist also praised President Tinubu’s administration for implementing an ambitious Sector-Wide Approach to strengthen primary healthcare and urged states to fulfill their obligations under Nigeria’s Health Sector Renewal Compact.
Gates cited examples of successful health initiatives in Nigeria, including the HPV vaccination campaign and polio eradication efforts, and encouraged the government to build on these successes to save more lives.
