Onyebuchi Ezigbo in AbujaThe UN agency also advised the federal government to ensure that the present political commitment towards salvaging the health sector is translated into real action that will achieve the desired results.The advice was given by Africa’s Regional Director of WHO, Matshidiso Moeti, in an interview with journalists at the end of the Roundtable Conference on Rethinking Malaria Elimination in Nigeria held in Abuja.
Various stakeholders, including development partners, who made presentations at the roundtable event, highlighted several strategies that will assist Nigeria in reducing the malaria burden in no distant time.When asked to give her advice on Nigeria’s plan to fast-track the elimination of malaria in the country, Moeti said that combining various intervention mechanisms and using data to monitor the prevalence of the disease will be critical in the effort to eradicate the malaria scourge.
She commended the federal government for embarking on the plan to tackle health sector challenges.According to her, the sector-wide approach being adopted by the government in implementing health sector programmes is also commendable.
Moeti also said that what is needed to drastically push back malaria in Nigeria is political commitment.She described the approach of the current administration in implementing programmes in the health sector as “excellent and courageous.”
“I think that what you need, first and foremost to change the state of the health sector in the country is political commitment translated into action,” she added.
She stated that with the increase in budget allocation, there is a very strong decision to create a framework where the government and development partners can work more effectively and efficiently in more connected ways and less fragmental ways.
“That will make our contribution either financial or technical and also go a long way to supporting the government. WHO is committed to supporting the government,” she said.Moeti further said the emphasis on data collection in the health sector is because it is the best way to ensure effective intervention and to achieve better results.
“Data is evidence of what is going on. With data you function more effectively and efficiently,” she said.
She said that the WHO team would be able to offer its experience to Nigeria having undertaken similar measures in other countries.
Moeti also talked about the promotion of local manufacturing of health commodities, saying that WHO will support the federal government in pushing forward efforts in that direction.
While speaking on the outcome of the Roundabout conference on Malaria Elimination, Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate said there is a need for the country to move from idealism to pragmatism, by trying to practicalise some of the concepts being canvassed by stakeholders.
“There is a need to move away from fragmentations of the past to a more coordinated approach in the context of the sector-wide programme, from approaches that leave us to one side, to a multilevel stratification. Shifting focus from the inputs and processes to increasing focus on outcomes that matter which reduces malaria burden, including morbidity and mortality,” the minister added.
Source: