The Development Governance International (DGI) Consult says that Nigeria needs a unified coalition among health stakeholders for a functional health tax policy.
Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday, Managing Partner, DGI Consult, Dr. Gafar Alawode, stressed the necessity of forging a robust coalition to bolster the implementation of a functional health tax policy.
This call to action comes in the wake of a comprehensive health policy analysis conducted by DGI in collaboration with the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
The session aimed to disseminate the methodology, findings, and pivotal recommendations derived from the analysis.
Key among the recommendations is the establishment of an inclusive coalition that rallies behind health taxes, supported by the development of a localized database to monitor consumption patterns.
Dr. Robert Marten, a unit head at the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, stressed the imperative of understanding the global political economy surrounding health taxes. He called for a concerted study aimed at enriching the design, adoption, and implementation of such taxes by delving into their political dynamics.
Meanwhile, Dr. Bolanle Olusola-Faleye, Chief of Party at the USAID-funded Local Health System Sustainability Project (LHSS), highlighted the potential of health taxes to significantly bolster health insurance coverage for vulnerable demographics.
Emphasizing the allocation of health tax revenues for the health sector, she emphasized the need for transparency, efficiency, and accountability in implementation.
Health tax policy refers to the implementation of taxes specifically targeted at funding healthcare services and initiatives.
The purpose behind health tax policies is to generate revenue that can be allocated towards improving healthcare infrastructure, providing essential medical services, supporting public health programs, and addressing healthcare disparities within a population.