Nigeria needs N6.71trillion to implement second National Health Plan, says Ehanire

Osagie Ehanire, the Minister of Health, Nigeria, said that N6.71trillion will be needed to fully implement the second National Health Plan within the five years, according to a news report by Daily Trust.

He stated this in Abuja on Thursday when he appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Healthcare Services and Institutions.

He said the implementation of the plan was to reduce the maternal mortality rate from the current 576 to 400 per 100,000 live birth of children under five. He described the plan as a strategic healthcare system development system aimed at addressing the most basic challenges especially the primary healthcare system and other levels.

In Africa, maternal death is the second biggest cause of women's death at the reproductive age. Approximately, 2,87,000 females die every year due to complications in pregnancy and delivery.

Nigeria continues to rank second globally in the number of maternal deaths and unfortunately, nearly 20 percent of all global maternal deaths take place in this west African country. A woman here has a 1 in the 22-lifetime risk of dying during pregnancy, childbirth or postpartum or post-abortion, whereas, in the most developed countries, the lifetime risk is 1 in 4900. 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the poor women in Nigeria's remote areas are least likely to receive adequate healthcare. The places also lack a good number of skilled health workers. In other words, millions of births are not assisted by trained nurses, midwives or doctors.