The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, has advised state Commissioners for Health in the South West to use the $1.5 million “Save One Million Lives” fund to revitalise primary healthcare facilities.
 
Adewole gave the advice on Friday in Lagos at an awareness meeting on the pperationalisation of the recently launched “Save One Million Lives Programme for Results” in the zone.
 
The meeting was organised for Commissioners for Health in Lagos, Ekiti, Osun, Ondo, Ogun, Kwara and Oyo States.
 
The minister explained that the programme, being funded from a N140 billion ($500 million) World Bank credit, was negotiated by the Federal Government.
 
He said that out of the credit, $1.5 million had been disbursed to states and the Federal Capital Territory.
 
Adewole also urged the state government to carefully utilise the funds to achieve positive health outcomes to enable them to receive more funds in the second phase of the programme in 2017.
 
Adewole said: “This programme is a Federal Government-led intervention to improve maternal and child health with the state Ministries of Health as partners.
 
“The programme will monitor the flow of resources to pay for results, outcomes and impacts, rather than simply pay for processes or reimburse costs.
 
“I must say it clearly that the money given to you should not replace your budget for health.
 
“Rather it is an addition, it is to augment, do not allow it to be the only budget for health in your respective states.”
 
Adewole said that the initiative would allow practical assessment of health performance and determines whether the state government would be able to receive more funds in 2017.
 
Also, Mudashiru Obasa, the Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, urged the Federal Government to focus more on health research as prevention was better and cheaper than cure.
 
Obasa promised that the Lagos State Government would continue to make health policies that would improve the lives of residents.
 
In his remarks, Dr. Benjamin Loevinsohn, a World Bank official, urged the Federal Government to place priority on the immunisation coverage, maternal and child and disease outbreaks.
 
Read more at https://www.today.ng/news/nigeria/213829/minister-tasks-state-govts-revi...