The Federal Ministry Health says it needs more than N234,620,402 in the 2020 Budget to engage Nigerian medical doctors, pharmacists, medical academics and other sector professionals from the Diaspora.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, made the request Sunday, while defending diaspora-related parts of the budget of the Ministry of Health, before the House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora Affairs.
Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman Nigeria Diaspora Commission, had conceptualised the framework for the Ministry of Health to engage Nigerian health professionals resident abroad.
The Minister, while giving a breakdown of the budget for 2020, told the committee that N173,020,401of the proposal will be used for “establishment and operationalization of Diaspora Professional Healthcare Initiative, Provision of Logistics and Implementation of Diaspora Professional Healthcare activities.”
A breakdown of N24 million for “participation of Federal Ministry of Health’s delegation at the Annual Scientific Sessions and Trainings of the Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas, ANPA, National Association of Nigerian Nurses in North America (NANNNA), Medical Association of Nigerian Specialists Across Great Britain, MANSAG, Canadian Association of Nigerian Physicians and Dentists(CANPAD), Nigerian Nurses Charitable Association in the United Kingdom (NNCA-UK), Nigerian Association of Pharmacists and Pharmaceutical Scientists in the Americas (NAPPSA) and International Conferences on Public Private Partnership for Supportive Capacity Building.”
A sub-head of N17,600,000 million, according to the breakdown by the Ministry, is for “procurement of project vehicle for monitoring of medical missions and office furniture/equipment to enhance the effectiveness of Diaspora unit officials.”
Earlier, the Minister of Health, had regretted that of the N186,000,000 appropriated for Establishment and Operationalization of Diaspora Professional Health-care Initiative, Provision of Logistics and Implementation of Diaspora Professional Healthcare activities, only N74,000,000, representing a mere 40%, was approved for the Ministry.
He lamented further that of even the 40% approved, “The FMoH was given only 56.05% of the 40% of which the procurement process is ongoing”.
For the “Participation of Federal Ministry of Health’s delegation at the Annual Scientific Sessions and Trainings of the Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas, ANPA, National Association of Nigerian Nurses in North America, NANNNA, Medical Association of Nigerian Specialists Across Great Britain, NANSAG, Canadian Association of Nigerian Physicians and Dentists, CANPAD, Nigerian Nurses Charitable Association in the United Kingdom (NNCA-UK), Nigerian Association of Pharmacists and Pharmaceutical Scientists in the Americas (NAPPSA) and International Conferences on Public Private Partnership for Supportive Capacity Building”, he told the committee at the weekend, that only N9,600,000 was approved from the proposal and approval for N24 million.
For supportive supervision of Foreign and Medical Health Missions, the ministry reported that only N7.04 million was released, out of the N17.6 million approved by the National Assembly.
For interaction with Diaspora Physicians, Nurses, Pharmacists and Pharmaceutical Scientists’ Organisations for the Transfer of skill and other contributions from organisation of technical committee (made up of Diaspora doctors and their home-based counterparts), Nurses”, N10 million was approved, but only N4million was received.”
The minister told the committee that in the 2019 budget, though the Ministry proposed N20 million to purchase a vehicle “for monitoring of medical missions abroad”, only N8million was released.
Earlier, the Chairman of the House Committee on Diaspora, Tolu Akande-Sadipe, expressed her committee’s disappointment with the slow progress made by the Ministry in its Diaspora unit.
She, however, assured that her committee will push for improved funding for the unit in the 2020 budget.
