Prof. Muhammad Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, says the death rate of children under five years of age has reduced by 16.7 per cent between 2018 and 2023.
He disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at the maiden edition of the Nigeria Health Sector-Wide Joint Annual Review (JAR).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that JAR is a crucial platform for advancing the principles of the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp), bringing together stakeholders to reflect on progress made, evaluate challenges and identify areas for further improvement.
According to Pate, the figure is based on the pre-population health outlook report of the soon to be reviewed Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) conducted in 2023.
He added that there were also significant improvements in infectious diseases, ranging from 40 per cent reduction in diarrheal diseases, 24 per cent reduction in Tuberculosis and 12 per cent reduction in HIV.
“So, in spite of the pervasive sense that there are difficult challenges, Nigeria is beginning to move, which with this political commitment, we can accelerate in the right direction.
“Also, 17 states have already shown improved performance in modern contraceptives and six have already doubled.”
Pate explained that in the last one year, based on the data-driven diagnostic assessment of the health sector, a strategic blueprint with an overall goal to save lives was developed to reduce both physical and financial pain and ensure good health for all Nigerians.
He added that the blueprint, comprising four pillars of governance, underpins the efforts being made and the collective approaches being taken to enhance the sector.
He alluded to the health compact that was signed by the president, which had the buy-in of all the state governors, adding that there are significant progress in that regard.
He said that “by Quarter Three of 2024, we have already met 31 out of 41 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) across the presidential commitments and are on course to surpass all our targets for 2024.
“Also, N45 million has already been disbursed through direct facilities to states and several facilities have been revitalised.”
Pate, however, said that in spite of the successes recorded, there were still challenges that needed to be improved on.
He mentioned affordability of care, data sources, coverage of children with zero dose immunisation and malnutrition as some of the areas that require attention.
The minister assured Federal Government’s commitment to prioritise health issues, in line with the principles of the sector-wide compact that was signed.
He urged state governments to also commit to improved budgetary allocation for health, while seeking stronger convergence of financing and technical support from development partners.
The Governor of Imo, Sen. Hope Uzodinma, while delivering a keynote address, said that one of the landmark initiatives introduced by the Federal Government in the enhancement of the efficiency of the health sector was the SWAp.
Uzodinma, who spoke on behalf of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), said the SWAp promotes the “One Budget, One Plan, One Organisation and One Report”.
He added that the approach was further solidified by the signing of the Health Sector Renewal Compact by President Bola Tinubu, Pate and the 36 governors and development
partners.
He explained that “the signing of this compact is a powerful demonstration of our collective commitment to universal health governance and underscores the critical importance of collaboration between the Federal Government, the states and local government areas to achieve our health goals.
“The recent results of the NDHS reinforces why this collaboration is essential.”
Uzodinma, however, said that although there have been some improvements in health indicators particularly in reducing the final impact of the health crisis, the figures remain unacceptably high.
He stressed the need for collaboration among stakeholders to recognise the unique challenges each state faces, while maintaining shared focus on achieving better health outcomes for all Nigerians.
He reiterated the commitment of the NGF to continue to honour commitments to build a more resilient, inclusive and effective healthcare system that meets the needs of Nigerians.
The review, which started on Wednesday, will end on Friday. (NAN)
