Legislative Network for Universal Health Coverage Set to Convene the Fifth Annual Legislative Summit on Health

The Annual Legislative Health Summits, convened by the Legislative Network for Universal Health Coverage (LNU), have continued to be a rallying point for learning, agenda-setting, and stock-taking for lawmakers and other key actors in the health sector across the country. Since its inception, it has achieved laudable accomplishments, such as the coordination of processes that led to the inclusion of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) in the 2018 Federal Budget, and its upgrade from a service-wide vote budget item to a statutory transfer/first-line charge, which has made the Fund more predictable and sustainable. Other achievements include improved budgetary allocations to the health sector, the establishment of state primary healthcare agencies and health insurance schemes, and the passage of critical legal frameworks like the National Health Insurance Authority Act, to mention just a few.

Ensuring that legislative actions align with the government’s policy direction is key to strengthening and sustaining progress in addressing challenges within the health sector. This alignment encompasses legislation, oversight, and accountability, particularly regarding the efficient disbursement and use of health funds and harmonizing legislative reforms for health nationwide.

It is to this end that the LNU is convening the fifth Annual Legislative Summit on Health to orient national and state legislators on the new strategic direction of the federal government as provided in the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Program (NHSRIP), and how the statutory functions of the legislature can be harnessed toward achieving the objectives of the NHSRIP for universal health coverage (UHC).

The summit is scheduled for Wednesday, 17th to Friday, 19th July 2024, with the theme “Improving Legislative Stewardship and Accountability for Universal Health Coverage.” The summit will have high-level participation, including the Senate President and Chairman of the National Assembly, Federal Republic of Nigeria, H.E. Distinguished Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, CON, and Rt. Honorable Abbas Tajudeen, Speaker of the House of Representatives, as the Special Guest of Honor, and His Excellency Rt. Hon. Francis Nwifuru, Executive Governor of Ebonyi State, as the Guest of Honour.

The summit is convened by H.E. Distinguished Senator Dr. Ipalibo Harry Banigo, Chair of the National Assembly Senate Committee on Health and Chair of the Legislative Network for Universal Health Coverage (LNU), Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Contributed by Philip Akoso | LISDEL