*The economic rationale for taxing these products is strong if we want to save lives and make a better and healthier Nigeria, says Shubham Chaudhuri, World Bank Country Director for Nigeria

Alexander Davis | 绿帽献妻

Stressing the urgent need to save more precious lives and evolve a much better, healthier country, the World Bank Group has urged the Federal Government to impose special taxes on alcohol, cigarettes and sugar-sweetened beverages to improve primary healthcare in Nigeria.

绿帽献妻 learnt Mr. Shubham Chaudhuri, Country Director for Nigeria, World Bank Group, said: 鈥淚f we want to improve healthcare in Nigeria, we need to tax the things that are killing us.

鈥淭he economic rationale for taxing these products is strong if we want to save lives and make a better and healthier Nigeria.鈥欌��

Mr. Chaudhuri hinted at this development Friday, December 3, 2021, at a special National Council on Health meeting, organised by the Federal Ministry of Health, in Abuja, FCT, agency report said.

The World Bank chief also noted that taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverages would reduce the health risks associated with their consumption and expand fiscal space for universal health coverage post-COVID 19.

According to him, investing in stronger health systems for all would contribute to tackling rising poverty and inequality.

Chaudhuri added that health tax increases would have the additional advantage of reducing future healthcare costs by curbing the growth of the non-communicable diseases that tobacco, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverages cause in the country.

In his goodwill message to the meeting, Dr. Walter Mulombo, representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Nigeria, said he could attest to the enormous health needs of Nigerians and efforts the authorities are making at meeting the needs.

Dr. Mulombo said that his attestation was based on the fact that he had visited half of Nigeria鈥檚 36 states in less than two years in the country.

As COVID-19 exposed weaknesses in the global economy including health, the WHO Representative noted that he considered it a unique opportunity for a thorough evaluation of existing resources and mechanisms to prepare better for a more resilient future.

He assured of WHO鈥檚 continued to technical support for Nigeria in the development and implementation of its home-grown policies and plans.

Mulombo also explained this would be in the context of the global health agenda as reflected in the country鈥檚 Cooperation Strategy.

鈥淭his we have taken into consideration, even as we currently review our operational plan and budget for the next two years,鈥欌�� he added.

Mulombo said the duty of achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through building resilient health systems, was a collective responsibility requiring incremental steps in the right direction and continuous improvement.

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