Leaders meet in New York for the 80th United Nations General Assembly. Obinna Ebirim, an advisor on youth health policy, asks African countries to push for fairer donor partnerships and to make their own leaders pay more attention to health spending.
Ebirim says donor aid helped fight malaria and HIV but heavy reliance creates problems when funding ends. He points to disruptions in HIV, TB, malaria and nutrition programmes, shortages of supplies, some hospitals cutting services, and health workers losing jobs. In Nigeria, overseas partners fund much of vaccination campaigns, disease surveillance and worker incentives. Nigeria has not met the Abuja Declaration target of 15 per cent; recent years show four to six per cent of the national budget for health.
Difficult words
- policy — A plan or course of action.policymakers
- finance — Management of large amounts of money.
- donor — A person or organization that gives money.donors
- health — The state of being free from illness.
- budget — An estimate of income and expenses.
- program — A planned series of activities.programs
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Why is reducing dependency on donors important for health systems?
- How can Nigeria improve its health budget?
- What challenges do countries face when trying to prioritize health finance?
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