Polio eradication: There will be no complacency from my administration – Buhari assures WHO
President Muhammadu Buhari has assured the World Health Organization, WHO, of his administration’s resolve to commit resources towards totally eradicating cases of poliomyelitis in the country by the year 2017.
Receiving a team from the United Nations agency at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Monday, to mark the one year of no record of fresh outbreak of the polio disease in the country, President Buhari recalled the efforts put in by past administrations towards achieving the milestone as he vowed to ‘sustain the current momentum’ in the campaign to eradicate the menace in the country.
“For 14 consecutive months, Nigeria has not recorded any new case of polio virus. This, as I had been briefed, is the first step towards certification of Nigeria as a polio virus free country by WHO in the next two years.
“This achievement, I recall, also resonated at the 70th UN General Assembly when the Director-General of WHO, Dr. Margaret Chan, mentioned it. I therefore commend WHO for their consistent stewardship in Global Health Security
“As you are aware our, efforts to eradicate this crippling disease started in 1998. It has taken a lot of toll on our country in terms of human and material resources. We are however not relenting as we are determined to achieve our collective goal of saving our children from further paralysis from polio.
“I want to assure you that there will be no complacency, as we will maintain and improve on our surveillance system as well as raise the childhood population immunity against the poliovirus to avoid any spread of the disease. The federal government will sustain the current momentum and we shall continue to regard this campaign as an emergency until we are declared polio free in the next two years,” the President stressed.
Continuing, President Buhari who told the visiting WHO team of his meeting with a High Advocacy group whereby the Federal Ministry of Health was given a clear directive to come up with measures for enhanced effort towards ensuring the sustenance of this campaign.
According to Buhari, it was in pursuance of this anti-polio drive that ‘I held an expanded meeting of state Governors and other stakeholders involving mainly representatives from the eleven polio high risk states where the main issues requiring Federal Government’s attention were raised and discussed.
“I would like to reiterate the federal government’s commitment towards the achievement of a polio free Nigeria in 2017. The Government will sustain the needed funding for operations and vaccine procurement for the programme. Also, the Presidential Taskforce on Polio Eradication will be reconstituted under the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Health to provide political direction and oversight in order to avoid complacency.
“I would like to place on record my recommendation for the vaccinators, community mobilizers, partners, parents and caregivers who have supported the polio eradication initiative of Government through the years,” said President Buhari.
The President who used the occasion to ’commend the support of our traditional and religious leaders who have contributed immensely to the polio eradication efforts’ also thanked the development partners, ‘particularly WHO, UNICEF, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID, US-CDC, Rotary International, and a host of others who contributed financially and materially to the over-all efforts.’
He, however, posited that for sustainability,’ it is important that the fight against polio and other communicable and non-communicable diseases, is anchored on a strong health system.’
“The National Health Act has made provision for universal access to basic healthcare with a focus on the poor and the vulnerable as well as the basic healthcare provision funds to support its implementation. I have already instructed the Federal Ministry of Finance to provide for the basic healthcare provision fund under the 2016 Budget Appropriation. We are also working on a revised National Health Policy which would have the achievement of Universal Health Coverage as its main ultimate goal.
“Another concern of the Health Sector under this administration is addressing the significant morbidity and mortality rates caused by neglected tropical diseases. These diseases disproportionately affect the poor and the vulnerable and as such are major concerns of this administration. We shall ensure that these diseases are no longer ‘neglected,’ the president assured.
