By Hassan Zaggi
The Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN) has charged the federal government to implement fully the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent and Elderly Health Plus Nutrition (RMNCAEH+N) COVID-19 response continuity plan.
The call is premised on the fact that the plan which was developed in 2020 has less than 12 months to expire.
The estimated cost of the RMNCAEH+N COVID-19 response plan is 12,190,045,688 billion naira.
Speaking while responding to questions from journalists in Abuja, yesterday, the Coordinator, Africa Health Budget Network, Dr. Aminu Magashi, said that the plan has the potential to improve the health status of vulnerable Nigerians including children, women and the aged.
The RMNCAEH+N COVID-19 response continuity plan was put together to ensure uninterrupted health services including family planning, adolescents and youth health, and other essential health services to all Nigerians, in order to the avert the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According Dr. Magashi: “The RMNCAEH+N COVID-19 Response Plan is well articulated and has the capacity to touch many lives in Nigeria.
“Even though we have less than 12 months left for full implementation of the plan, we are optimistic that if all hands are on deck, a lot of progress can be achieved. Notwithstanding, we must remember that this is a pre-election year, and therefore there is need for urgency in its implementation.
“All stakeholders in the country including the media, CSOs, philanthropic organisations and well-spirited Nigerians have a huge role to play to ensure that the plan is implemented to the letter. ”
A cursory look at the various items in the plan shows that Health promotion and Public awareness will gulp N4,532,426,100; health work force/capacity building, N1,562,648,000; procurement, logistics and supply chain management 3,198,047,988 among many others.
Recall that during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the then Presidential Task Force (PTF) (currently the Presidential Steering Committee) on COVID-19 developed the National Multi-sectoral COVID-19 response plan with responsibilities assigned to the relevant line ministries and parastatals in which the Federal Ministry of Health led the health sector component of the plan. The Federal Ministry of Health further developed an Integrated Federal Health Sector COVID-19 Response Plan.
The comprehensive health sector response plan prioritized some health service packages which the RMNCAEH-N plan is formed to operationalized and address the challenges.
The services include routine immunisation; reproductive health services; care during pregnancy and child birth; essential care for new-born children, young infants and under-5 children, adolescents; older adults and the elderly.
AHBN reiterated that it is concerned that such a laudable initiative that will provide care and essential services to vulnerable segments of Nigerians is yet to be fully implemented.
AHBN, therefore, called on the Federal Government and relevant stakeholders to make every effort to ensure adequate provision of RMNCAEH+N services in all parts of the country in order to reduce illnesses and deaths.
AHBN also called on the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), the media and other critical stakeholders to support the Federal Government to implement the RMNCAEH+N COVID-19 response plan.
