Don urges FG to make health insurance mandatory
Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
TLDR
- A Nigerian professor of medicine urges the Federal Government to implement mandatory health insurance for all citizens.
- Professor Olufemi Fasanmade argues that voluntary enrollment has failed and only a mandatory system, funded by expanded taxation, can ensure universal healthcare access.
- He highlights the severe financial distress caused by non-communicable diseases and the tragedy of preventable deaths due to unaffordable treatment.
The call by Professor Olufemi Fasanmade for mandatory health insurance in Nigeria, as reported by The Punch, underscores a critical crisis in our nation's healthcare system. The current voluntary model has demonstrably failed, leaving millions vulnerable to devastating financial burdens when faced with illnesses like hypertension, diabetes, and kidney failure. It is unacceptable that Nigerians are dying from treatable conditions simply because they cannot afford the cost of care.
If they don’t make it mandatory, people will not enrol. The same way VAT is collected, money should also be channelled into healthcare so that every Nigerian can be treated.
Professor Fasanmade's assertion that healthcare is an inalienable right, not dependent on income, resonates deeply. The analogy to Value Added Tax (VAT) collection for healthcare funding is a practical suggestion that warrants serious consideration. We must explore robust, equitable financing mechanisms that ensure everyone, regardless of their economic status, has access to essential medical services. The current situation, where individuals can spend upwards of N100,000 weekly on kidney failure treatment, is simply unsustainable for the average Nigerian family.
Healthcare is an inalienable right. It is a tragedy when people die because they cannot afford treatment. Even in other countries, emergency care is provided regardless of ability to pay. Somebody is still paying for it through a system.
Nigeria's low health insurance coverage, estimated at less than 10 percent, is a stark indicator of systemic failure. This leaves a vast majority exposed to catastrophic health expenses, pushing families into poverty. The professor's emphasis on expanded taxation as a solution is crucial, especially given the persistent challenges with tax compliance. Strengthening our public infrastructure, including the health sector, requires a collective commitment to fair and efficient revenue generation and allocation.
Chronic diseases such as kidney failure impose unbearable financial pressure on families. A patient with kidney failure may spend between N50,000 and N100,000 weekly. No salary can sustain that. That is why insurance is not optional; it is survival.
From a Nigerian perspective, this issue is not merely about policy; it's about survival and dignity. The stories of individuals unable to afford basic medical attention, or resorting to spiritual interventions out of desperation, are heartbreaking realities. The Punch, in highlighting Professor Fasanmade's expert opinion, provides a vital platform for discussing solutions that prioritize the well-being of our citizens. This is a call to action for the government to move beyond rhetoric and implement concrete measures to guarantee affordable and accessible healthcare for all Nigerians.
People are dying from conditions that are treatable. Some cannot afford N10,000 in emergencies. That is a failure of both governance and participation in healthcare financing.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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