For Nigeria to successfully sort out illness outbreaks and handle public well being threats, the nation should strengthen its well being resilience and native establishments.
This was the consensus when specialists gathered on the second APIN Public Well being Initiatives annual symposium in Abuja, on Thursday.
The occasion, themed “Securing Our Future: Strengthening World Well being Safety in Nigeria” is a part of discussions geared toward advancing methods to enhance the nation’s well being system.
Talking on the occasion, the CEO of APIN Public Well being Initiatives, Prosper Okonkwo, harassed the significance of adaptable well being techniques to sort out present and rising well being challenges.
Mr Okonkwo mentioned well being safety requires resilient well being techniques able to detecting, assessing and responding to each present and rising well being challenges.
He famous that the emergence and re-emergence of infectious ailments have dominated the worldwide well being panorama, highlighting essential vulnerabilities in well being techniques worldwide.
“The COVID-19 pandemic acted as a worldwide alert, highlighting the perils of inequality. That pandemic introduced the whole world to a halt,” he mentioned.
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“And for international locations like Nigeria, that are navigating the challenges of the worldwide burden of infectious and non-communicable illness administration, in addition to sector-wide well being sector reform, such occasions underscore the need for a sturdy well being safety framework.”
He mentioned in Nigeria, the place well being infrastructure faces extreme challenges, strengthening well being safety is paramount in defending the inhabitants from well being threats.
Mr Okonkwo pledged APIN’s continued dedication to advancing Nigeria’s well being safety by fostering discussions and actions that drive progress on this space.
Strengthening native establishments
Delivering the keynote handle, Assistant Director-Basic of the Division of Well being Emergency Intelligence and Surveillance Programs at WHO, Chikwe Ihekweazu, mentioned strengthening well being safety isn’t just about responding to a direct disaster.
Mr Iheakweazu mentioned it entails constructing robust establishments to soak up improvement sources, translate support into motion, and ship lasting enhancements for individuals.
He famous that world well being safety is determined by native establishments able to organising themselves to forestall, detect, and reply to public well being threats.
“The query for us is how you can construct establishments that not solely reply to speedy crises but additionally lay the inspiration for long-term self-reliance.”
He emphasised the necessity for international locations like Nigeria to allocate sources towards constructing resilient establishments as an alternative of outsourcing options completely to exterior actors.
“To do that, international locations should put down their very own cash to behave on these challenges and never outsource our issues fully,” he mentioned.
“Constructing robust, resilient native establishments must be on the centre of efforts for well being safety and never an afterthought. Exterior actors could be supportive.”
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He mentioned companions are nice, however the management, experience, and execution should relaxation with these closest to the challenges and alternatives.
Delivering his speech, the Board Chairman of APIN Public Well being Initiatives, Oladipo Shittu, mirrored on the worldwide affect of COVID-19, which highlights the need of well being safety.
Mr Shittu mentioned the pandemic halted world exercise and highlighted the financial penalties of insufficient well being safety.
“Nigeria should prioritise well being safety and be certain that outcomes from this symposium are applied nationwide,” he mentioned.
Authorities’s dedication to well being safety
In his comment, the Coordinating Minister of Well being and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, reiterated that the federal government is working to scale back the prevalence of ailments within the nation.
Mr Pate, represented by the Director of Port Well being Providers on the ministry, Nse Akpan, mentioned instances of Malaria, HIV, and Tuberculosis, that are the main public well being ailments, are dropping.
“However we nonetheless have so much to do, and that’s why the federal government is working in direction of a one-health strategy to combine all programmes and sort out ailments with an efficient response in order that we will include, and if attainable, eradicate all ailments of significance on this nation,” he mentioned.
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