The Federal Government yesterday launched the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent and Elderly Health Plus Nutrition (RMNCAEH+N), a multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform geared towards the achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), especially for women, children and the elderly.
The Federal government, leveraging on the existing functional primary health facilities in the country, has said it is increasing health facilities providing family planning services to 20,000 in recognition of its implications for people’s wellbeing.
President, Nutrition Society of Nigeria, Dr Bartholomew Brai has called on government and other stakeholders to intensify efforts towards providing food and nutrition support to indigent households and scale up existing social protection programmes in the country. Brai also advocates adequate nutrition in the management of covid-19 patients with attention on energy, protein and fluid balance maintenance.
For the first time in a long while, Mr Ben Olayinka and his wife, Esther, have a rare privilege of staying together indoors with their three children for two uninterrupted weeks following the Federal Government’s imposed lock down on Lagos, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory.
FG allocates 4.5% of budget to health in 12 years FG, states allocated 6% of budget to health in 2019 Malaria claims 73,680 Nigerians in 4 months Nigeria loses 216,000 children, 22,310 pregnant women this year.
IF the Federal Government and state governments had not been paying lip service to healthcare funding, Nigeria would have been at a vantage position to combat the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic sweeping across the world.
Following fears of projection that Nigeria would become the world’s third most populous nation by 2050, stakeholders have counselled Federal Government to take the issue of family planning seriously, saying it is critical to controlling the rising country’s population.
The stakeholders, mainly experts in family planning also reiterated that increase in the uptake of family planning remains a sure-way of reducing poverty and maternal deaths.
The House of Representatives has commenced consideration of a bill to provide free ante-natal care to all pregnant women and stipends for mothers of triplets and other multiple births.
The bill initiated by Dr. Tony Nwoye representing Anambra East/West Federal Constituency also aims to address discrimination against pregnant women in the working place with sanctions stipulated against an employer who discriminates against a woman on account of her pregnancy.
The Federal Government’s efforts to check the further spread of the Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis in the country may be marred by high cost of dispensing the vaccine in public and private health institutions.
Nigerians who are eager to protect themselves against the deadly disease have said that the cost of procuring the vaccine is prohibitive.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the recent outbreak of the disease, especially in the northern parts of the country has claimed over 813 lives.
Mrs Adejoke Adefulire, the Senior Special Assistant to the Government on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) says the office will collaborate with stakeholders to attain zero under five mortality by 2030.
Adefulire gave the assurance on Saturday in Abuja at a national workshop organised by the Association of Female Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AFMLN) with the theme; “Contributing to SDG three by improving child and maternal health through enlightenment and education.
