By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The Federal Government has moved to implement health education and prevention strategies to ensure eradication of the burden of non-communicable diseases, high mortality rate and mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
The Minister of State for Health & Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako disclosed this move when he received a delegation of Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) led by its Executive Vice President, Infectious Diseases, Dr. David Ripin.
Speaking on the burden of Non Communicable Diseases, NCDs, such as cancers, hypertension, and diabetes in the society, Dr. Salako stated that the government is adopting a more proactive approach of health education and prevention to completely address these unwholesome challenges.
A practical assurance to this approach, according to him, is the inclusion of programmes on cancer prevention at all levels in the Ministry’s 2025 budget.
“This year in our budget, we are focusing our attention a lot on cancer. And a lot of that funding will be around cancer prevention, both at primary prevention and secondary prevention levels, with screening, population prevention, and so on and so forth”, he stated.
Dr. Salako further highlighted Government’s interest to address and reduce high mortality rates to the lowest, through the Ministry’s programme launched known as Maternal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative.
He said, “The programme is aimed at addressing challenges around providing maternal care, particularly in high-burden local governments for maternal mortalities.”
” Introducing minimal technology into maternal care plus ultrasound, he further stated, would drive more women to come for antenatal care.”
The minister expressed deep appreciation of the existing partnership between the Ministry and Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), adding that it would enhance positive impact and results to the average Nigerian.
The Country Director of CHAI, Dr. Olufunke Fasawe enumerated contributions of the organization towards improving access to healthcare delivery in the country.
These, according to her, include collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Health & Social Welfare on a 50% reduction in the prices of some chemotherapies and, supporting about 20 plus centers across the country. This is to ensure that patients have access to these prices of chemotherapy.
On cervical cancer elimination; Dr. Fasawe pointed out that CHAI has moved cervical screening from outreaches, NGOs, and charitable events; to actually integrating it into the normal routine services such that any woman 25 years and above can routinely get screened for cervical cancer.
Furthermore, she stated that over 57,000 women have received HPV screening, while , CHAI was able to get a significant price reduction of HPV test kits from about $20 to now $7 to achieve the high number of screened women.
