HFN Presses FG to Boost Healthcare Financing

The Healthcare Federation of Nigeria has charged the Federal Government to create incentives for local pharmaceutical manufacturing, enhance access to healthcare financing and adopt sustainable energy solutions for hospitals.

In a statement released yesterday, Sunday 23, the HFN expressed that universal healthcare can only be achieved when all stakeholders, government, private sector, and civil society, work together strategically, adding that innovative financing models and local production of essential medical supplies must be explored.

This statement follows the foundation’s initiative titled ‘Health Walk and Blood Donor Drive,’ an activity aiming to donate blood to the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service and also one of the activities set in place to mark the foundation’s 10th anniversary.

According to HFN, the initiative that saw its members walk from the National Museum in Onikan, Lagos, to under Falomo Bridge on Saturday, seeks to raise awareness about healthcare and voluntary blood donation.

At the event, HFN Pioneer president and Managing Director of JNC International, Mrs Claire Omashaye, emphasised the significance of blood donation in saving lives.
In her speech, Mrs Claire stated that blood has no substitute, and no lab can manufacture; hence, the need for citizens to realise a collective responsibility to donate voluntarily and save lives.

Claire also noted that HFN has made remarkable progress in the past decade, influencing key healthcare policies, including the National Health Act and the Cancer Health Fund, which provides treatment for indigent cancer patients.
HFN’s incoming president, Njide Ndili, reaffirmed the federation’s commitment to strengthening private-public partnerships and leveraging technology to enhance healthcare access.

The Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service Representative, Tope Balogun, also highlighted the importance of voluntary blood donation, stating that there are strict processes in blood transfusion, aiming to ensure the safety of both donors and recipients.