The House of Representatives has mandated its relevant committees to liaise with government agencies towards strengthening alternative healthcare services in the country.
This followed a unanimous adoption of a motion by Rep. Balarabe Kakale (APC-Sokoto) at plenary on Thursday.
Moving the motion, Kakale said that the outbreak of COVID–19 has exposed Nigeria’s over reliance on imported medicines and other related health services.
He said that the shortage of these had led to an increase in awareness for locally sourced health solutions with more Nigerians demanding health care services that were homegrown, accessible and affordable.
“Failure to strengthen and adequately utilise alternative medicines in the country undermines the sustainability of the domestic structures, denies Nigerians the opportunity to test their usefulness in the prevention and cure of various ailments, and leads to waste of resources.
“Aware that evidence has shown that Nigeria, in particular, has a plethora of medicinal plants scientifically proven to have immense health benefits but the country has failed to effectively use them.
“Also concerned that the lack of a sustainable domestic approach to healthcare delivery has resulted in a weak healthcare system in the country especially in efforts towards combatting COVID–19 and other epidemics.
“Worried that the overdependence on foreign medicine has created a lacuna in Nigeria’s healthcare system, thus limiting access to other effective forms of treatment and leaving citizens vulnerable to various diseases,” he said.
In his ruling, the Deputy Speaker, Rep. Ahmed Wase mandated eight committees of the house to ensure compliance and report back within four weeks for further legislative actions. (NAN)