Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State stated this on Thursday while briefing newsmen at the end of the National Economic Council meeting.
The meeting was chaired by the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
He explained that the decision to sign an agreement with WHO was reached at the council after a presentation on Nigeria’s Health Sector Renewal Programme by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate.
According to him, the presentation looks at all the challenges in the health sector, from financing, human capital, and a supervisory point of view.
He also said that the presentation reviewed the leadership level from the presidency to the local levels and the need for governors and local governments to put interest in the health sector.
The governor noted that without the health sector being taken care of, the country may not have the necessary technological development.
“So there was a resolution of the council that the World Health Organisation is coming on December 15, and all the governors will come and sign a compact agreement in terms of service compact.
“Governors will be able to reiterate our determination to approach the health sector in terms of budgeting, given the required impetus and the required attention that it deserves.
“The National Economic Council received a presentation from the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare on Nigeria’s Health Sector Renewal Programme, which looked at and dissected a very robust sector scan on health.
“From tertiary to the primary level, looking at all the gaps, the problems and challenges of funding, and even the need for renewed interest by stakeholders, mostly governors at the subnational level, experts, doctors, and everybody.
“And of course, the Renewed Hope agenda that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is trying to establish in trying to bring synergy and collaboration between all the various stakeholders in the country.
“And they are trying to make sure that they establish a compact in a manner that we will be able to generate resources from everywhere.”
The governor said that after the presentation by the minister, suggestions were made on how to generate resources from taxes in communications and on airlines, as well as taxes from the state government, to bridge the gap.
“Certainly, we have a huge problem with human capital and the need to develop a strategy to retain our own experts to take care of our own health sector.”
(NAN)
