EU backs FG’s polio immunisation with N4bn

The European Support to Immunisation Governance in
Nigeria on Monday said it had committed N4bn into this
year’s immunisation programmes in Nigeria.
The organisation said the gesture was part of its
determination to ensure that Nigeria ended the scourge of
polio and obtain World Health Organisation’s certification as
a polio-free country in 2017.
Training, Contracting Advisor and Procurement Expert for
the EU-SIGN, Aminata Sidibe, gave the figure in Abuja during
the bi-annual review meeting of 23 states of the federation
(and the FCT) which benefitted from the fund.
According to her, the programme is aimed at helping Nigeria
in the fight to end polio and other related diseases; assist in
obtaining the WHO certification on polio and also aid in
containing other vaccine-preventable diseases in the
country.
“The EU is committing £150m into the programme. For this
specific programme estimate, N4.3bn has been committed,”
Sidibe said
Anna McAthur, Director of CONSEIL SANTE, an organisation
through which the EU funds the SIGN programme in Nigeria,
said, “The EU-SIGN actually came in at real good time for
Nigeria because we have just got to the elimination of polio,
and we are working towards eradication of polio. The
government has set up state primary health care agencies
and has advisory body in each state.
“It is good for Nigeria to strengthen its primary health care
agencies and also strengthen its immunisation, which will
help to make polio eradication in Nigeria a success.
“The EU funding goes in three categories of programme
operation guidelines. It will be over a period of four years to
work with the State Technical Assistance, with the states and
with the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency
to plan how to strengthen immunization, strengthening the
cold chain, health facilities and build capacities.
“What is really important with the programme is that it is
working with the state governments. So, working on a
system that will have a long term impacts on reducing
preventable diseases and maintaining polio eradication, it is
working on governance, it is working on human resources
strengthening. It is building equipment in the state to be
able to have strong report. So, with all these support and
working with the government, we can get there and increase
immunisation campaign.”
The WHO had recently delisted Nigeria from the three polio-
endemic nations on the globe, leaving Afghanistan and
Pakistan on the list.
While declaring the meeting open on Monday, a Director in
the Department of Logistics and Health Commodities at
NPHCDA, Dr. Mustapha Mahmud, said the nation had just
achieved a feat of being delisted from polio-endemic
countries.
He added that Nigeria must maintain the de-listing for the
next two years to enable it to get certification.