Vice President of Nigeria Kashim Shettima has reiterated the new administration’s commitment to increasing national health financing, promoting health industrialization and improving health outcomes in the country.
Mr. Shettima made this known when a delegation from Global Health Partners – the Global Fund, the US President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) and the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) paid him a courtesy visit at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday.
According to a statement signed by the Director of Information at the Office of the Vice President, Olusola Abiola, Shettima reaffirmed the commitment of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to reposition the country’s healthcare system.
“These are three important commitments that I am making on behalf of my boss and rest assured, our word is our bond. I want to assure you that we are determined to catapult the nation to a higher pedestal,” he said.
“We are committed to changing the narrative of inclusive growth, of a Nigeria that all black men are proud of.”
He noted that the president is a man of vision and that he has the courage to move forward in everything he believes in.
“From the appointment of the Minister of Health, there is clear testimony of the momentum, the President’s political commitment and the current leadership to reposition the nation,” he added.
Shettima urged global health partners and other stakeholders in the health sector to support the new leadership to actualize the President’s vision for all Nigerians.
Improved healthcare system
In his remarks, Coordinating Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, said the visit by global health partners was aimed at taking stock of the progress made so far in the fight against HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis (TB). among others.
Pate said the visit also symbolizes the trust and alignment that global partners have around the vision of the President of Nigeria and his desire to transform the health system to improve the health and well-being of citizens.
He said global partners committed nearly $2 billion in grants to fund the health of Nigerians over the next three years.
“That is a remarkable commitment that shows they have confidence in our president’s vision and the approach he has now taken to fulfilling it together with state and local governments,” he said.
“And all Nigerians, we must join hands so that we can advance the health sector as a foundation to transform our population to be highly productive and achieve the prosperity that is undoubtedly in our future.”
Pate said there are also plans to retrain 120,000 frontline health workers over the next 12 to 18 months.
He said that these workers will be trained to serve the population from the base to boost the primary health care system.
“We are working with state governors and local governments. “This is an important contribution to making Nigeria’s health system more resilient in combating HIV, tuberculosis and, above all, malaria, because malaria affects our people,” he said.
Association, support
For his part, the US Global AIDS Coordinator, John Nkengasong, said that the visit, which coincided with the commemoration of 20 years of US Government support for Nigeria’s fight against HIV/AIDS through of the PEPFAR initiative, has given partners the opportunity to appreciate the vision and direction of the Tinubu administration for the health sector.
Nkengasong noted that the health minister’s clarity of vision and commitment to building an inclusive health system for the country would help partners align their objectives and goals across the various interventions.
In separate comments, Peter Sands of the Global Fund and David Walton of the US President’s Malaria Initiative praised the Nigerian government for its efforts to combat malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.
Other dignitaries present at the meeting were the Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Gambo Aliyu; The United States Consul General in Lagos, Will Stevens, and the WHO representative in the country, Walter Mulombo, among others