Osinbajo: Nigeria’s COVID response shows our health system can do better with adequate resources

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo says he is confident that Nigeria’s healthcare system can be improved with adequate resources.

According to a statement by Laolu Akande, his spokesperson, Osinbajo spoke on Tuesday when he received a delegation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation at the presidential villa in Abuja.

The delegation was led by Christopher Elias, president of the foundation, and accompanied by Aliko Dangote, founder of the Dangote Foundation.

Osinbajo said the country’s response to COVID is an indication that the public healthcare system will do better if adequately funded.

“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,” he said.

“I am confident that our public health system is robust enough to deal with any situation so long as it is well resourced at the relevant times. We saw that with the response to COVID-19.

“So, it is really just ensuring that the system is well resourced and it works, and we will be able to deliver on those targets.”

The vice-president thanked the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Dangote Foundation for their support towards the country’s public healthcare system.

He added that the federal government looks forward to more partnerships that will benefit citizens.