Federal Executive Council Okays N6.07trn For National Health Strategic Plan

“The entire projects meant for over five years will cost us over N6.071 trillion and we believe that if this funding is done, if the plans are implemented faithfully, we will achieve a 31 per cent reduction in maternal mortality. We will achieve 33 percent reduction in horizontal mortality and we will achieve under five percent mortality reduction of 29 per cent.”

The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved a new five-year National Health Strategic Plan 2, which is to gulp the sum of N6.07trn.

The meeting presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo in the absence of President Muhammadu Buhari who was attending a summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which drew African leaders and entrepreneurs.

Briefing State House correspondents after the FEC meeting on Wednesday, the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, said the health sector plan involves the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

According to him, the previous Plan (1) covered 2010 to 2015, while the new Plan (2) will cover 2018 to 2022.

He said the N6.071trn project meant for a period of over five years if funded and implemented faithfully, would achieve a 31 per cent reduction in maternal mortality.

He said, “The entire projects meant for over five years will cost us over N6.071 trillion and we believe that if this funding is done, if the plans are implemented faithfully, we will achieve a 31 per cent reduction in maternal mortality. We will achieve 33 percent reduction in horizontal mortality and we will achieve under five percent mortality reduction of 29 per cent.

“We are quite confident that this plan will usher Nigeria into a new era, and council in its wisdom, approved this plan for implementation. So, the next thing now will be to ask the states to commence implementation. Federal will commence, and we will go to NEC and Governors’ Forum to secure the buy-in of the governors so that this plan can be faithfully implemented.”

He said the new Plan 2 had been re-engineered to cater for the failings of the Plan 1 which he noted was only able to achieve about two of its 52 targets.