By Dipo Olowookere
The Senate Committee on Health, Dr Lanre Tejuosho, has called for the removal of outsourcing services from the service wide vote to ensure uninterrupted service delivery in the health sector.
The lawmaker made this call during the budget defence of health ministry and its agencies in Abuja.
He stated that the incessant strike in the health sector has adversely affected the progress made so far in the sector.
He further observed that the one percent consolidation funding enshrined in the National Health act 2014 has not been realised, because the act has not been implemented.
He added that implementation of the act could aid the growth in the health sector.
In his remark, the Chairman, Primary Healthcare and Communicable Disease Committee, Mr Mao Ohabunwa, reiterated that the National Health Act was a law passed by the National Assembly, which the Health Ministry and other stakeholders must work together to actualize the provisions.
In his response, Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole said that the Federal Government would support the local production of essential drugs, adding that his Ministry would encourage local manufacturers to produce drugs approve by World Health Organisation (WHO).
While soliciting for the support of the Senate Committee on Health towards achieving the goals of the National Health Act, the Minister noted that some of the challenges in the health sector were personnel cost and outsourcing services, adding that the outsourcing services cost were very high.
He further said that revitalization Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) initiative was Federal Government effort to bring healthcare services to the door step of the people at the grassroots level. He urged people to own it while the Federal Government would provide leadership and direction.
Adedapo Adesanya 
Aduragbemi Omiyale