The Health Sector Reform Coalition (HSRC), an association committed to yielding excellent and affordable health care for Nigerians, has weighed in on the need for peaceful polls.
At an Abuja press conference, the coalition called on Nigerians to avoid violence while peacefully exercising their franchise. The inadequacies of the country’s healthcare facilities informed this admonition, with injured citizens at risk of not accessing treatment.
The coalition further appealed to citizens to assess the manifestos of the candidates, specifically to identify one who would embark on a significant overhaul of the country’s health system.
Chika Offor, the HRSC chair, hinted at the HRSC’s interest in aiding the efforts of the victorious candidate, particularly in the attainment of Universal Health Coverage.
“The Health Sector Reform Coalition (HSRC) is a coalition of more than one hundred (100) Civil Society Organizations and other non-government actors who came together to drive citizens-led health sector reforms in Nigeria. Our coalition played a principal role in driving the advocacy activities that led to the passage and signing of the National Health Act in 2014.
“Since this period, the HSRC has continued to pursue the implementation of the Act and other sectoral reforms which have a strong potential for transforming the health care landscape in Nigeria through the provision of primary health care services to all Nigerians and providing a roadmap to Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in the country”, she said.
As a priority, the chair highlighted the next president’s need to appoint a health minister well in tune with the sector. She further noted that while the health sector has experienced longstanding neglect in the country’s hierarchy of socio-political demands, the manifestos of the leading contenders hint at a shift.
The coalition specifically referenced the All Progressives Congress (APC), the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Labour Party (LP), and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
