By Hassan John
The Senate Committee Chairman on Health Care Services, Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe, has disclosed that within four years in the Senate, he has been able to get four health related bills passed into law while five others are waiting for the president’s ascent.
He made the disclosure during an exclusive interview at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja.
While noting that getting a bill from scratch to the stage of getting assent by the President is a tedious task.
The Senator however said that he is fulfilled that he has been instrumental to the passage of four bills which he initiated, into law.
“I have about five health related bills that have already passed second reading. I have four bills already signed into law by President.”
The four bills that have been assented into law, according to the Senator, include: “The bill for the establishment of Neuro Psychiatric hospital in Kwara State which is for the North Central Zone.
“Before we came on board, there were 8 Neuro Psychiatric hospitals in the country. There were two in the north west- one in Sokoto, one in Kaduna. In the North East we have one.
“In the South West, we have two – one in Yaba in Lagos. In the South-South, we have two. But in the whole of the six states that make up the North Central, there was no Neuro Psychiatric hospital.”
The second Bill, he explained, which is the National Health Insurance Act which turned NHIS into NHIA.
“The significance of that one is making health insurance to be mandatory. Hitherto under the former law, health insurance was optional. If this new law is implemented, it means every Nigerian should have a health insurance.
“Does everybody have money? The answer is no. The law provides what we call the vulnerable group fund which government will pay.
“Our assessment shows that about fifteen million people are vulnerable. That means that government will cater for those that don’t have money.
“For those that have money, either you are employed by private or government, or you are self-employed, you must enroll.
“We are trying to create a regulation, for example, if you are a contractor and got contract from government or seeking anything from government, you must show your health insurance number. If you want obtain your driver’s licence, you must ensure you have health insurance. The law has been signed.”
The third, he said is the Bill on Alternative and Complementary medicine.
He explained that the Federal College of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine was established during the military era and confirmed by President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The College was, however, cancelled by the Federal Ministry of Health but the staff were on national budget. “That college has money allocation for salary, overhead and capital. Where is the overhead and capital going? We don’t know because there is no law.
“We asked the ministry for two to three years, they said they want to do an Institute.
“I then took it upon myself to ensure that we establish the college properly to give it a legal framework. That is the third one and has since been signed by the President.”
He further noted that: “The fourth one which is a very major one is the Mental Health Act.
“Mental health which is a very critical part of health is often neglected. WHO estimates that one in every four Nigerians have mental health challenge.
“It does not mean that everyone having mental challenge is roaming round the street. People suffering from mental health have anxiety health, sleep disorder and many other conditions. There was no law before. What was there before was the lunacy act which was a regional law which was passed in 1916.
“They have been struggling to get a law the provides special framework and organizational structure. We have passed that and it has been signed by the president.”
Senator Oloriegbe, therefore, explained that: “The five bills that are at various stages of conclusion include the one on National Health Emergency which has been passed by the Senate but yet to be accented by the President.
“We have secondary and primary healthcare, but we don’t have effective emergency service in the country. There is already a small fund for it in the National Health Act but the ministry is using it to establish ambulance services which is more effective.
“There is the one on Perinatal and maternal mortality reporting Act which is about maternal deaths or deaths around pregnancy. These are critical indicators about health performance in any country.
“Every maternal death ought to be investigated to know what the cause is.
“We have the National Health Act amendment Act. We are amending the NHA. When we earlier did the NHA, it was 2 per cent and it was reviewed to one per cent. We are now reviewing it upward to two per cent.
“The last one which is the Nigeria Medical Research Council is a new law and we have held the public hearing few days ago.”
