By Asmau Ahmad
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Ali Pate, has commended United States Government and other partners for investing $900 million in Nigeria’s malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis programmes.
He made the commendation on Monday in Abuja when he received Dr John Nkengasong, the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy, the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
Also among the delegation was Mr Peter Sands, Executive Director, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and Dr David Walton, U.S. Global Malaria Coordinator for the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI).
According to Pate, the US government support which is about $900 million dollars over the years is already a significant amount of support.
The minister said: “We appreciate the generosity of the American people and American government and other governments that contribute to the global fund because the global fund comprises seven countries, not only the United States government.”
Pate said that the visit symbolised the significance that the delegation places on the health and well-being of Nigerians and on Nigeria’s positioning in the global effort to improve people’s health.
He, however, said that financing and technical capability were not the only challenges the nation’s health sector faced though financing was very important.
Pate said that overall governance was very important and that the ministry would support the vision of President Bola Tinubu to ensure the health sector was better covered.
He added: “Which means that to govern health better, we have to look at the intergovernmental aspects as well as what we do as a Federal Government.
“We have to do it with our development partners like yourself and others who are going to come after to serve Nigerians, to improve their health and wellbeing and have good data to tell the story of where we are going.
“To hold ourselves accountable and also hold you accountable, even as the source countries also called institutions accountable. That’s the pillar of governance.”
Pate said that to strengthen the platform for delivery of health services, the nation had to retrain and update standards of practice for its frontline health workers.
Dr David Walton, the U.S. Global Malaria Coordinator for the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative, commended Nigeria on the progress that had been made in healthcare deliverables, especially ensuring that Nigerians were protected during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He added that the global fund was proud to be a partner with Nigeria and the fund has a lot at stake.
Walton said: “Nigeria is the country that receives more global fund investments than any other country in the world so your success is our success.
“We are completely united with you in the objective of saving lives, improving the health systems, improving health and well-being for people all across this country.
“This visit is a very deliberate effort to ensure we are coordinated in supporting you and particularly at this really important moment where we have a new government, new president, new leadership in Ministry of Health.
“We want to be aligned in the way we put our resources and capabilities behind the government. We are delighted to engage in these discussions, but we should see this as just a first step of ongoing dialogue.”
“However, it is also about action because ultimately it’s the actions that counts and that is what will save people’s lives and improve people’s health.”
