The 2014 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak and the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria especially in Lagos State – the epicentre of the diseases was an expose to the inadequacies in the state’s health infrastructure which was more prevalent in the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
The outbreaks exposed the state on the gaps of adequate financing in Epidemic Preparedness Response (EPR).
Health emergencies of this nature showed that funding for health security need urgent attention to prevent the level of casualty witnessed in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lagos recorded eight (8) EVD deaths of 20 confirmed cases while 771 persons died of COVID-19 from 1,014 persons admitted, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
The Legislative Advocacy Initiative For Sustainable Development (LISDEL) in a report on Prevent Epidemics (PE) project conducted recently in Lagos saw areas where the state fell in funding for PE and health security.
According to figures quoted by the state government on its official website, the state “so far achieved an average monthly Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of N34 billion in 2018 compared to monthly averages of N22 billion, N24 billion and N30 billion in 2015, 2016 and 2017 respectively.”
The impact of the wealth of the state is not being felt in its health sector.
The legislative advocacy organization in its assessment on finance for the health sector in the state saw that existing budget line doesn’t address components of EPR in the state’s Ministry of Health budget as well no budget line for EPR at the Local Government Area (LGAs) while on legal framework, the state COVID-19 pandemic law 2020 does not clearly incorporate other public healt epidemics/emergencies in the state.
While there is suboptimal accountability mechanisms in the state for EPR financing and policy actions in the state, the government is yet to adopt the National Action Plan on Health
Security – NAPHS (2018-2022) and domesticate the plan among relevant Ministries and Department of Agencies (MDAs) in the state.
If these areas are addressed there will be increased budget allocation, releases and utilization for EPR in the state health sector which will lead to broader, stronger and more effective collaboration for EPR.
Also, the state tends to benefit from the ongoing Biosecurity reforms improve health security as well as translate existing private sector alliance for COVID-19 into an enduring coalition towards improving health security in the State.
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