The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has called on the Federal Government to begin the implementation of the Emergency Medical Treatment Fund provided by the National Health Act 2014 to reduce highway mortality.

NMA made the call in a statement signed by its President, Dr Francis Faduyile, and Secretary General, Dr Olumuyiwa Odusote, in Abuja on Sunday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the National Health Act 2014 provides for the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).

The BHCPF allocates 2.5 per cent of the fund to Federal Ministry of Health as Emergency Medical Treatment Fund and 2.5 per cent to Nigeria Centre for Disease Control to beef up response programmes.

The association called on the Federal Government to rectify the observed anomaly to ensure implementation of the Emergency Medical Treatment Fund.

It urged the government to urgently prioritise healthcare financing by increasing budgetary allocations and paying attention to alternative platforms of financing healthcare.

“Government at all levels should show greater commitments to proper utilisation of the available fund,’’ the association said.

The NMA also called on its members to show more active participation in the legislative process at all levels especially in the formulation and legislation of policies that would promote quality healthcare delivery in Nigeria.

Besides, the association charged all its members newly appointed as Ministers to be good ambassadors of the medical profession.

It added that they should implement policies, programmes and projects that would have direct impact on the lives of Nigerians.

The association urged government at all levels to reduce to the barest minimum, the ravaging menace of kidnapping, armed robberies and banditry in the country.

NAN recalls that the Federal Ministry of Health had on Feb. 5. inaugurated an Emergency Medical Treatment (EMT) Committee and National Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance Scheme (NEMSAS).

The programme (EMT) was domiciled with the Department of Hospital Services of the federal ministry of health.

The ambulance, Referral and Trauma Services were part of Emergency Medical Treatment (EMT) of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) provided by the National Health Act 2014.

The operation manual of the BHCPF indicates that EMT carries 2.5 per cent of the total funding for (BHCPF) annually.

The EMT got N327 million from the May 2019 disbursement of the BHCPF, and the money was to be used as start up for the services.