By Hassan Zaggi
Concerned by the ugly health indices in the country, the Federal Government has disseminated the operation plan for the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent, Elderly Health plus Nutrition (RMNCAEH+N) Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Coordination Platform (MSPCP).
Speaking while disseminating the operational plan, the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, disclosed that the RMNCAEH+N platform was launched in October 2020, with the aim of addressing coordination issues in the delivery of high impact interventions affecting mothers, children, adolescents, and the elderly.
The RMNCAEH+N operational plan, he said, will guide implementation of the coordination at the national level and serve as a template for adaptation and adoption at the subnational levels.
He reiterated that the plan clearly communicates the vision for the platform, enumerates the structure of the partnership and depicts the operational modalities.
The Minister enumerated the mandate of the platform to include: “Leadership, Coordination and Partnership, advocacy, resource mobilization and communication, quality technical delivery and accountability, data and knowledge management.
“These make up the four subcommittees led by a Core Group comprised of expertise from the traditional institutions and public health experts.”
While explaining the relevance of the operational plan, the Minister said: “This is a particularly important tool for the multi-stakeholder platform to work with.
“The development of the plan was a very inclusive process; the leadership of the core group, together with the secretariat, engaged with the leadership of each subcommittee through which the RMNCAEH+N platform was engaged in the broad-based consultative process that culminated in this operational plan we have today.”
Earlier, at a media parley with media executives before the dissemination of the RMNCAEH+N operational plan, Dr. Ehanire revealed that the federal government has concluded plans to introduce what it christened National Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System (NEMSAS).
This, according to him, is to enable Nigerians call for help in emergency situations and get it promptly.
He explained that: “The Federal Government is poised to launch the National Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System to provide prompt and efficient emergency Medical Service to the people.
“It will involve prompt response to medical distress calls of all types with first responders, transfer to facilities, assured first aid at point of care at no immediate user cost.”
