Health
Under-five mortality reduced by 16.7% between 2018 and 2023- Pate
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Prof. Muhammad Pate, says the death rate of children under five years of age has reduced by 16.7 per cent between 2018 and 2023.
He disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at the maiden edition of the Nigeria Health Sector-Wide Joint Annual Review (JAR).
The NAN reports that JAR is a crucial platform for advancing the principles of the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp), bringing together stakeholders to reflect on progress made, evaluate challenges and identify areas for further improvement.
According to Pate, the figure is based on the pre-population health outlook report of the soon to be reviewed Nigeria Demographic and HealthSurvey (NDHS) conducted in 2023.
He added that there were also significant improvements in infectious diseases, ranging from 40 per cent reduction in diarrheal diseases,24 per cent reduction in Tuberculosis and 12 per cent reduction in HIV.
“So, in spite of the pervasive sense that there are difficult challenges, Nigeria is beginning to move, which with this political commitment,we can accelerate in the right direction.
“Also, 17 states have already shown improved performance in modern contraceptives and six have already doubled.”
Pate explained that in the last one year, based on the data-driven diagnostic assessment of the health sector, a strategic blueprint with an overallgoal to save lives was developed to reduce both physical and financial pain and ensure good health for all Nigerians.
He added that the blueprint, comprising four pillars of governance, underpins the efforts being made and the collective approaches being taken to enhance the sector.
He alluded to the health compact that was signed by the president, which had the buy-in of all the state governors, adding that there are significant progress in that regard.
He said that “by Quarter Three of 2024, we have already met 31 out of 41 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) across the presidential commitments andare on course to surpass all our targets for 2024.
“Also, N45 million has already been disbursed through direct facilities to states and several facilities have been revitalised.”
Pate, however, said that in spite of the successes recorded, there were still challenges that needed to be improved on.
He mentioned affordability of care, data sources, coverage of children with zero dose immunisation and malnutrition as some of the areas that require attention.
The minister assured Federal Government’s commitment to prioritise health issues, in line with the principles of the sector-wide compact that was signed.
He urged state governments to also commit to improved budgetary allocation for health, while seeking stronger convergence of financing and technicalsupport from development partners.
The Governor of Imo, Sen. Hope Uzodinma, while delivering a keynote address, said that one of the landmark initiatives introduced by the Federal Governmentin the enhancement of the efficiency of the health sector was the SWAp.
Uzodinma, who spoke on behalf of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), said the SWAp promotes the “One Budget, One Plan, One Organisation and One Report”.
He added that the approach was further solidified by the signing of the Health Sector Renewal Compact by President Bola Tinubu, Pate and the 36 governors and developmentpartners.
He explained that “the signing of this compact is a powerful demonstration of our collective commitment to universal health governance and underscoresthe critical importance of collaboration between the Federal Government, the states and local government areas to achieve our health goals.
“The recent results of the NDHS reinforces why this collaboration is essential.”
Uzodinma, however, said that although there have been some improvements in health indicators particularly in reducing the final impact of the health crisis, thefigures remain unacceptably high.
He stressed the need for collaboration among stakeholders to recognise the unique challenges each state faces, while maintaining shared focus on achievingbetter health outcomes for all Nigerians.
He reiterated the commitment of the NGF to continue to honour commitments to build a more resilient, inclusive and effective healthcare system thatmeets the needs of Nigerians.
The review, which started on Wednesday, will end on Friday.
NAN
Health
Stakeholders Applaud A360 Impact On Adolescent Health
Stakeholders in Nigeria’s health and development sector say the institutionalisation and scale-up of the Adolescent 360 (A360) Amplify project have greatly improved adolescent sexual and reproductive health outcomes in participating states.
They made this known at a dissemination meeting on the project on Thursday in Abuja.
It was implemented by the Society for Family Health (SFH) and partners, and later adopted into government systems following documented successes.
Launched in 2020, the A360 project was designed to provide adolescent girls with access to sexual and reproductive health information, youth-friendly services and economic empowerment opportunities.
The programme was implemented in Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna and Nasarawa States using a human-centred design approach that engaged governments, communities and young people to improve uptake of family planning and maternal health services.
Dr Aisha Sadiq, Permanent Secretary, Kaduna State Ministry of Health, said institutionalising A360 had delivered measurable improvements in adolescent health indicators and community wellbeing.
She said Kaduna currently provides A360 youth-friendly services in 623 Primary Health Care (PHC) centres.
The Matasan Mata Arewa (MMA) initiative, she added, had reached 75 communities and empowered more than 15,000 girls with entrepreneurship skills and seed capital.
According to her, more than 60,000 girls have accessed contraceptives through the programme, with a reduction in discontinuation rates as more young women sustain use and transition to maternal and child health services.
“These changes have shown a marked reduction in maternal mortality among those communities. It has also reduced negative neonatal outcomes,” she said.
Sadiq recounted an elderly woman’s remarks from a programme community, calling them a strong reflection of the project’s success.
“These girls have spent their whole lives believing they will remain tolerable liabilities to the husbands they marry, but now they are realising the value of becoming appreciated assets,” she quoted.
Sadiq added that Kaduna’s 16 per cent health budget allocation and the integration of A360 activities into the state’s 2025 Annual Operational Plan demonstrated sustained political commitment.
Also speaking, Dr Omokhudu Idogho, Managing Director, SFH, said the four implementing states had successfully embedded A360 approaches into government systems, community structures and routine health practices.
He was represented by Dr Kenechukwu Erichalo, Deputy Managing Director, Project Delivery.
Idogho said the project had reached more than one million adolescent girls with family planning services and engaged over 500,000 others with comprehensive sexuality education messaging.
“We recorded more than 50,000 antenatal care visits, ensuring that girls received skilled care that saved lives, and supported over half a million girls to learn income-generating skills,” he said.
He said A360 pioneered the MMA and Niger Girls models, demonstrating that culturally sensitive, human-centred programmes can succeed even in conservative communities.
“Our most significant achievement is institutionalisation. Today, all 1,750 A360-supported facilities are fully government-led,” he added.
Mrs Roselyn Odeh, A360 Project Lead, said the initiative was developed in response to poor adolescent health indices in the country.
She said the programme ensured respectful, youth-friendly services at PHCs and supported school reintegration and entrepreneurship for girls.
She said the decision to scale the programme in northern states was based on data.
“When you look at maternal mortality among young people, you know the section of the country it is coming from. Data drove our decisions in alignment with government priorities,” she said.
Odeh identified challenges including weak PHC infrastructure, funding gaps, commodity shortages and the need to engage husbands in conservative communities.
“But creatively, we worked with governments to mobilise domestic funding through health revolving funds and the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund,” she said.
Mr Sagir Musa, Commissioner for Youth, Jigawa State, assured of continued commitment from implementing states to sustain and expand the project’s gains.
“This project may be nearing closure, but for us, it has just begun. We have gone beyond its life cycle to embed its approaches in the things we do,” he said.
The dissemination meeting brought together policymakers, community leaders, development partners and beneficiaries to review lessons learned and outline future priorities for scaling adolescent health interventions nationwide.
(NAN)
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