Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, has stated that the country is capable of providing adequate health services to its citizens, even in light of the recent exit of the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Gatekeepers News reports that the closure of USAID, which was ordered by former US President Donald Trump, has left many countries, particularly in Africa, facing uncertainty and has surprised thousands of individuals who rely on the agency’s humanitarian efforts.
However, Minister Pate reassured that the Federal Government remains unfazed by this development and is prepared to fund healthcare services for the population.
“So for us, we are not complaining. We are full of appreciation to the US government for the contribution they have made,” the minister said on Channels Television’s Hard Copy programme aired on Friday.
“The American people have contributed to taking care of more than 1.3 million Nigerians on antiretroviral therapies, tuberculosis, malaria, and maternal and child health conditions.
“The change in US government policy is the determination of the American people. We can’t complain. What we have determined is that we are primarily responsible for the health of our population.”
He said the government will cope with the new policy and is working “towards exiting the dependency on external assistance” for healthcare in the country.
“We may be a poor country, but we are a capable country, and we are determined to own up to that responsibility. If others step in and support us, we appreciate it, but we are not begging for it, and we also will live within what we have,” the minister said.
“But we have the responsibility on us as leaders to ensure that our population gets the care they need. The federal government is going to do its part.”
According to him, before the recent US government policy, the Nigerian leadership has been moving in the direction of self-sufficiency in the provision of healthcare for the citizens.
Pate said, “At the end of the day, our approach long before the change in US policy has been towards increasing national ownership. Increasing domestic resources.
“Improving our healthcare value chain and producing what we use. Strengthening our resilience through surveillance laboratory systems so that we deal with infectious diseases. We never really let’s say absolved ourselves of the responsibility for taking care of Nigerians who require government support.”
