Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa, the director general of the Nigeria Center for Disease and Prevention Control (NCDC), has demanded additional budgetary funding to help the nation better prevent, identify, and address public health concerns.
On Sunday, on the occasion of his second anniversary in office, Adetifa made the call during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
According to the director-general, earmarking funds for the execution of health security will improve capacity for reacting to threats to the public’s health.
In light of the nation’s federated structure, the head of the NCDC also mentioned the need to increase subnational support.
”We must establish robust relationships with different states and invest in subnational work to enhance health security in the country.
”We need to prioritise health. Health goes beyond capital projects – buildings and facilities. You need the human capital, equipment, training, and quality systems.
”Once we get the political leadership to properly prioritise health, then health will receive more funding.
“I believe that some state governments are committing quite a bit of their own budget to health. What we need to see is to make that a groundswell; that even more states are doing that, and that the national government is doing that.
”Lagos, Kano and Gombe state have dedicated budgets for emergency preparedness and response, while others face resource constraints,” he said.
He also called for continuous surveillance and monitoring to identify and respond to diseases like Lassa fever as the country moves towards its season in November.
“Addressing healthcare challenges requires a collective effort from both the government and the people. It is not solely the responsibility of the NCDC but requires collaboration across various sectors and active participation from the public,” he said.
He acknowledged that the challenge of brain-drain exists both internally and externally in the public health sector of the country.
“The lack of attractive remuneration for public service jobs contributes to the difficulty in retaining skilled personnel,” he noted.