Delta State governor, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, has urged the federal government to ensure that reports from studies, especially, those from the National Institutes of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, are made available to respective states of the country for implementation.

Governor Okowa made the call on Monday, May 5 when members of Executive Course 41 of NIPSS paid him a courtesy call in Asaba.

According to the governor, “The NIPSS over the years have changed the narrative of governance of this country including the state and local governments through its numerous research and studies; it is good to hear that a lot of studies still take place in our nation and both the states and local governments will benefit and utilise the reports if the federal government can make the reports available to them.”

“I know that the input of participants who are from diverse background will enrich reports from NIPSS and the reports will be very beneficial to states where the studies took place,” the governor stated.

While lauding the theme of study, “Funding universal healthcare in Nigeria”, Governor Okowa observed that to achieve universal health coverage, there should be adequate manpower, training and proper funding for the primary healthcare sector.

He noted that medical tourism can only be curbed when the primary healthcare sector is effective which will give rise to functional tertiary health sector that will reduce medical tourism.

Governor Okowa used the occasion to call for full implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme Act 2004 so as to increase health care coverage across the country, noting that it was sad that Nigeria has 12 per cent health insurance coverage fifteen years after the Act was signed into law.

Earlier the Director-General of NIPSS and leader of the study team, Mr Jonathan Juma, had in his speech, lauded the contributions of Governor Okowa to the development of the country, disclosing that they were on study tour of Delta State.

•Photo by Bripin Enarusai shows Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa (left), presenting a souvenir to the Acting Director General of the National Institute and Strategic Studies Kuru, Jonathan Juma MNI during a courtesy call by the Participants of the Senior Executive Course 41 of NIPSS on the Governor in Asaba.

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