Ruby Rabiu
15 September 2008
Nigeria's plans to achieve the Millennium Deveopment Goals (MDG's) by 2015 may as well be a mirage if the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and MDG's ma-ternal and child health interven-tion project fails , senior special adviser to the president on MDG's Amina Ibrahim has said.
She said the MDG goal are related to health and education adding that unfortunately not much as has achieved in that region.
Ibrahim who was speaking at a press briefing to intimate the public on the progress made so far said the MDG had collabo-rated with the NHIS to act as a mechanism to implement the 4 & 5 goals which according to her will reduce the increasing maternal and infant mortality rate presently bedeviling the nation.
She said, "our present health indices is very low, our health sta-tistics are one of the worst in the world, and indeed it is a sad day for all of us because it is obvious that we have not done enough, but with the NHIS on our team we are already half way there.
"I know that with 7 years to go, its looks like nothing has been done, but right now we are buil-ding capacity but the challenges are very enormous and we need all the assistance we can get."
Ibrahim added that the surest way to achieve seven point agenda is to invest in women whom she stressed are vital in development of a nation.
She said, "if this project works in the pilot states, the statis-tics will be used as a leverage at the senate to solicit for funds in order to scale up the project across the country."
Earlier the Executive Secretary of the NHIS, Dr Mohammed Dogo said each of the pilot states will receive about N700Million but pleaded with the states to provide matching grants to help the project improve coverage.
Speaking on the project, Dogo said, "The project shall provide basic primary level care to these target groups and pregnant women will receive secondary level care when necessary.
"The project shall engage public health care facilities accredited by NHIS. To ensure adequate health provision in very rural areas, NHIS intends to accredit U5 clinics and PHC centres in the benefiting states."
He said, "The NHIS/MDG plans to scale down funding of the project by 2011, as the benefiting states scale up funding proportionately. NHIS is to provide technical assistance to the states to ensure its successful implementation."
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