Xechem International Inc. (fka XKEM)

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Health System Still Comatose - Minister

Leadership (Abuja)

yes, I wonder how this activity can encourage other PPP's from emulating Xechem ;-(

NEWS
23 October 2007

By David Apeh, Abuja

Minister of Health, Professor Adenike Grange, has said that the current indicators as well as evidence on ground shows that the Nigeria health system has not made appreciable progress from the situation in 2000.

The minister disclosed this yesterday in an addressed titled: "Investing in Health for National Development" she delivered on her vision for the healthcare sector. She said the continued weakness of the health system and the resulting alarming health outcomes pose the risk of the country not meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.


She explained that inadequate investment in infrastructure and under-financed and poor quality of service delivery in the public sector have induced increased demand for private services.

According to her, even though there is some knowledge about how to strengthen the health systems, the knowledge is not often put into practical use.

The minister stressed that when African Heads of State came together in Abuja in 2001, it was agreed that government budgets should be committed to the health sector, but that Nigeria has not attained the commitment of more than 6 per cent of the local budget since the declaration.

The minister noted that the commitment of the states and local governments to play their parts in increasing allocation of finances to the health sector also needs to be addressed especially through the payment of better salaries to their health workers as well as the necessary investment in the maintenance and replacement of their health outcomes.

She made it clear that at the primary care level, the level of monitoring and devaluation by the local and state governments remains too low to be effective and that there is concern that resource mobilisation alone will not achieve the relevant outcomes especially the achievements of the health related MDGs unless the situation is immediately arrested.


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