The federal government in collaboration with Gavi vaccine alliance, has launched $191 million grant Health System Strengthening Phase 3 (HSS-3) for the next four years.
The grant is to boost health system and immunisation in order to save Nigerian children from deaths resulting from vaccine-preventable diseases.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Mohammed Pate, while speaking weekend during the launch, expressed appreciation to Gavi for all its investment in the Nigerian health sector for several decades.
He added that the government and people of Nigeria will remain grateful to Gavi and will not take its partnership and collaboration for granted.
He added that Gavi investment in Nigeria has saved millions of lives and enabled the country’s immunisation program to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pate added that it also enabled the country to introduce new vaccines, including HPV, malaria and Mpox vaccines.
He reiterated the fact that the government of Nigeria, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is passionate about making quality health services equitably accessible and affordable to all and rapidly reducing maternal and deaths.
The minister noted the mission of Gavi to save lives and protect people’s health by increasing lives, reduce both physical and financial pain and produce health for all Nigerians.
He said the Federal Government of Nigeria considers investing in the health sector as a key dividend of democracy and that the provision of quality health services as a fundamental right of every citizen, in line with the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Pate said it is evidenced by the yearly increase in the annual health budget and the government’s mobilisation of domestic funds to close the funding gap as a result of the policy changes by some traditional donors.
He assured that all Gavi and other donor investments in Nigeria will be will be complemented by domestic funds, and judiciously utilised as the government is committed to accountability across all levels of governance, including for the health workers and other service providers.
Pate commended the leadership of the country’s health teams, especially the NPHCDA and other agencies for the successful implementation of HSS 2 support.
Also speaking, executive director of National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Muyi Aina, stated that the HSS-3 will help to consolidate the achievements of the previous HSS, 1 and 2.
He added that the HSS-3 is a critical tool to achieve the pillar 3 priority of the Ministry of Health that focuses on effective frontline health security through the PHC system, with a vision of not leaving any child unimmunised.
He highlighted several achievements of the previous HSS,1 and 2, particularly on the expanded access to life-saving vaccines.
