Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said yesterday that despite the hit by the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Nigerian healthcare system has remained solid.
He stated this in Abuja when a delegation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation led by its President, Dr Christopher Elias, accompanied by the founder of the Dangote Foundation, Aliko Dangote, visited him at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to a statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President, Mr Laolu Akande, Osinbajo said when well resourced, the healthcare system can achieve greater coverage, including meeting targets set in disease prevention and eradication.
He said: “Clearly, we need to do a lot more; perhaps what needs to happen is increasing personnel in our public healthcare system, ramping up the numbers so that we can achieve greater coverage and do a lot more.
“I am confident that our public health system is robust enough to deal with any situations so long as it is well resourced at the relevant times. We saw that with the response to COVID-19. So, it is just ensuring that the system is well resourced and it works, and we will be able to deliver on those targets.”
The Vice President also appreciated both the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Dangote Foundation for their support in the country’s healthcare system.
He added that the Federal Government looks forward to more collaboration with partners for the benefit of the Nigerian people.
