Partners in (Nigerian) Health

A report from the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) highlights a new initiative – the Data Inventory and Documentation Initiative (DIDI) – that aims to better align Nigeria’s health survey database with international standards. The report argues that such data “are invaluable resources for statisticians, researchers and analysts”, a statement that could very easily be extended to include benefits for health care professionals. After all, proper cataloging of health information could mean the difference between treating 200 patients today (preventing the spread of a disease) and treating 20,000 patients tomorrow in a full blown epidemic. I admit that this is an extreme example, but then again, health care is all about extremes. We can’t expect any less when we’re dealing so intimately with human life.

In any case, the report identifies the International Household Survey Network (IHSN), the World Bank, *PARIS21, the International Health Facility Assessment Network and USAID, as organizations that will help the FMOH with this transition. **MEASURE Evaluation will provide much of the technical support. In addition, the ministry has requested that data from private surveys (conducted by individuals and organizations) be contributed to the program. In all, it seems like a multi-faceted effort that is well poised to do wonders for the health situation in Nigeria.

It’s an incredibly fortunate coincidence that the FMOH would launch such a program shortly after the appointment of ex-minister of health, Babatunde Osotimehin to the position of Executive Director at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). From such a position, Osotimehin can contribute greatly to programs like DIDI and thankfully, he seems ready to do just that. In a visit to his successor at the ministry (Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu), Osotimehin re-affirmed his dedication to the health sector, promising to “provide more for Nigeria than ever before.” Embracing the sentiment, Chukwu praised the efforts of the ex-minister, asserting that his appointment at the UNFPA was a clear indicator of his exemplary leadership during his tenure.

Photo courtesy of the UNFPA (https://www.unfpa.org/public/home/news/pid/7103)

This alliance is encouraging on multiple levels. Most clearly, it holds great promise for the development of epidemiology and heath care management in Nigeria. In addition, it legitimizes Nigeria’s position as a country that has the potential to be a forerunner in global health. Very importantly, it’s a great example of a smooth hand-over in a leadership position, something that Nigeria doesn’t see very often. Let’s hope that the Nigeria-UNFPA relationship will live up to expectation and ultimately, help programs like DIDI reach their full potential.

* PARIS 21 - Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (Founded in November 1999 by the United Nations)

** MEASURE Evaluation - Monitoring and Evaluation to Assess and Use Results (Program sponsored by USAID)

Health Minister: Increased Government Funding and Inter-Sectoral Cooperation Vital To Improving Health of Nigerians

Nigeria's Health Minister, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu

For watchers of healthcare delivery in Nigeria, it did not come as a surprise when the country was ranked among the worst countries with weak national health systems; ranking 197 out of 200 in a recent World Bank survey. This poor ranking was attributed to inequitable distribution of healthcare resources between urban and rural areas; and lack of functional referral system due to poor funding. To refresh our minds, only 39 percent of births are assisted by skilled health professionals, just as only 23 percent of children between12 and 23 months receive full course of immunization against childhood killer diseases.

Against this backdrop, the ANPA Blog sought the audience of the Nigeria’s Minister of Health Prof. C.O.Onyebuchi Chukwu on these and other issues related to healthcare delivery in Nigeria during his visit to the United Nations in New York. It is a fact that most diseases responsible for mortality and morbidity in Nigeria are preventable and tied to areas outside of the ministry of health's purview (water supply, sanitation, environmental pollution). The ANPA Blog posed this to the minister and wanted to know what the ministry of health was doing to educate the leadership of the ministries involved and mobilize them for a common purpose of improving the nation’s health.

The minister agreed with facts as posed by the Blog and said that inter-sectoral cooperation was vital to improving the health and health outcomes for Nigerians. He said: “We have engaged those ministries (particularly Education, Water Resources, Environment, Interior and Finance) in bilateral discussions but intend to establish the inter-ministerial/inter-sectoral committee meeting on health.” He maintained that the better educated the leaders of these sectors are, the better will be the health of Nigerians.

The minister touted the great strides made in polio prevention in Nigeria saying “From January 2010 to October 2010 only 10 cases (2 awaiting confirmation) of Wild Polio Virus transmission has occurred in Nigeria.” and that WHO acknowledges that Nigeria has reduced transmission by 98%. The ANPA Blog congratulated the minister on this achievement but reminded him that successes are directly the result of immunization campaigns that are largely driven by external agencies and that there are still pockets of morbidity to vaccine preventable diseases, for example the 100 cases of polio paralysis reported from Jan to Sept 2009 in Kano alone. The ANPA Blog was concerned about the over-reliance on outside funding agencies and minimal national resources devoted to vaccine preventable diseases. The minister acknowledged that foreign donors are helping in the polio eradication program in Nigeria, but that more domestic funds have been committed to the operational cost (about 80%) of polio eradication effort in Nigeria than from external sources. He said: "External donor funds have been used to bridge funding gaps. This is not peculiar to Nigeria.” With regard to polio vaccine procurement, the minister said that domestic funding accounts for 50% while external funding accounts for the balance of 50%.

It is our hope that the minister will follow up on his promise to forge true inter-sectoral cooperation to improve the health of Nigerians particularly the poor and disadvantaged.

Nigeria's Health Minister, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, Speaks to The ANPA Blog

Several weeks ago, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, Minister of Health of Nigeria, was at the United Nations headquarters in New York where he addressed a summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). With only five years left until the 2015 deadline, there is a renewed sense of urgency among under-performing countries such as Nigeria to accelerate progress towards achieving the MDGs.

Soon after Chukwu took office six months ago, he lamented that Nigeria faced unique problems that made attainment of the MDGs very difficult. Within a few months, however, he was more optimistic, touting the National Health Strategic Development Plan before the Commonwealth Health Ministers meeting in Geneva, a plan which Chukwu said specifically addresses core health-specific MDG targets for infant mortality, maternal mortality, HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

Taking the podium at the UN, Chukwu while acknowledging the difficulties ahead was also exuding confidence, reeling off statistics to show recent progress:

"Nigeria is reasonably on course to achieve the target of MDGs on reducing child mortality with a fall from 100 per 1,000 to 75 per 1,000 live births between 2003 and 2008. Similarly, in the same period, the under-5 mortality rate fell from 201 per 1,000 to 157 per 1,000 live births .... and a drop in the maternal mortality ratio of 545 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births........a fall in the prevalence of HIV/AIDS from 5.8% in 2001 to 4.24% in 2008; doubled treatment of patients from 16.7% in 2007 to 34.49% in 2008." 

During his UN visit, the Honorable Minister who revealed that he reads The ANPA Blog, agreed to take questions from Deji Adefuye and Ben Nwomeh, in the first of a periodic feature in which we will interview stakeholders in Nigeria's health system. In subsequent posts, The Blog will report the Minister's views on a wide-range of issues, particularly those of concern to ANPA members.