Study finds zero funds for family planning in Nasarawa

Minister for Health, Prof Isaac Adewole

A study initiated by the Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria (HERFON) has shown shown failures in budgeting for family planning by the state governments of Kaduna, Nasarawa and Oyo.

The study dicoveredthat Nasarawa state allocated N40 million for family planning but released no funding from 2012 to 2014 when it released only N250,000, according to Dr Adeleke Oluwaseun, programme manager at HERFON.

HERFON is among Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health (PACFaH), a coalition of seven civil society organisation pushing routine immunisation, family planning, nutrition and treatment of diarrhoea and pneumonia.

In talks with Nasarawa state deputy governor Silas Agara, Oluwaseun said the study also found shortcoming in "ensuring proper and well defined quantification in states where a budget line existed for family planning."

He cited data showing 21 out of 100 women of reproductive age in Nasarawa want to plan their families but can't get contraception, 20% of children stunted, and 14% of diarrhoea-related deaths and 11% of pneumonia deaths--the highest among seven north central states, according to the latest National Demographic Health Survey.

Oluwaseun said Nasarawa state needed to "balance policy and implementation through adequate budgeting, allocation and release of funds" to pay for family planning, nutrition, routine immunisation and diarrhoea and pneumonia treatment.

Deputy governor Agara said the statistics for Nasarawa was "an eye opener that required the urgent attention of the state health managers to be challenged in addressing the issues and the need to proffer lasting solutions."

He noted Nasarawa lawmakers and local government officials needed engagement to support 100% implementation and operationalisation of its Primary Health Care Under One Roof programme to address leaks in staffing, adequacy and reduce corruption in the state health system.

He said Nasarawa was committed to ensuring that allocated funding is released as budgeted but was hindered by low revenue and economic situation. 

Source: Daily Trust Newspaper

Over 400,000 die yearly from diarrhea, pneumonia, others –FG

Newly appointed Per­manent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Amina Sha­maki, has disclosed that no fewer than 400,000 young Nigerians under the age of five die yearly of diarrhe­al, pneumonia and other related diseases.

Shamaki, who was rep­resented by the Director, Family Planning Health of the ministry, Dr. Wapada Balami, MNI, while speak­ing on Tuesday, in Abuja at the National Dialogue on Amoxicillin DT and Zinc/ Lo-ORS, an event that coin­cides with this year’s World Pneumonia Day noted that pneumonia and diarrheal diseases remain major kill­ers of young children in Nigeria that must be ad­equately addressed.

Federal Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, PSN, and Partnership for Ad­vocacy in Child and Fam­ily Health PACfaH clari­fied that the huge number recorded for the diseases drove the meeting that would focus more on the treatment of childhood kill­er diseases.

She disclosed that the project was also designed to address four critical areas such as treatment of child­hood Diseases-Pneumonia and Diarrheal, routine im­munisation, nutrition and family planning would go a long way in strengthen­ing the health system in the country.

According to her, the es­sence of the dialogue was to chart a course to put an end to the diseases in the country.

He said: “We are gath­ered here today -the World Pneumonia Day – to focus on the treatment of child­hood killer diseases -Pneu­monia and Diarrheal which are leading killers of chil­dren under the age of five years.

“In 2013, about 1.5 mil­lion children died glob­ally and about 400,000 Diarrheal 201,368 and Pneu­monia 177,212 in Nigeria from these preventable dis­eases.”

She added that: “Another issue to deliberate on dur­ing the dialogue is the need to scale up the use of Zinc and L-ORC tablet as the first line drug for the man­agement and treatment of childhood Diarrheal dis­ease.

“I believe that this array of participants will create good opportunity for the various stakeholders to deliberate on the prospect, challenges and strategies required to bring Nigeria in alignment with the cur­rent joint guidelines of the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, recommending Amoxicillin as the first line treatment for childhood Pneumonia.”

Speaking at the occasion, the Project Director for PACFfaH, Dr. Mohammed M. Saleh explained that in any disease or sickness, quick interventions are very paramount for long lasting solution.

 
Dr. Saleh urged the gov­ernment to encourage the domestication and in­creased production, distri­bution and appropriate pro­motion of commodities by local healthcare providers and private sector actors by enacting friendly poli­cies that would ensure the targeted communities have access to the life-saving product.

He called on government to endorse the usage of rec­ommended tablet, Amoxi­cillin DT and Zinc/Lo-ORS, with a universal coverage to assist in reducing mor­bidity and mortality of chil­dren under age 5 in Nigeria.

Source: National Mirror Newspaper