By Michael Peter, The Sight News
Abuja: Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, GAVI is committing the sum of $1.3 billion dollars for routine Immunization and Primary Healthcare system strengthening in Nigeria.
This commitment, described as unprecedented in the history of the nation’s healthcare system, will be spread over the next 10 years with Nigeria also committing the sum of 1.9 billion dollars in counterpart funding for same purpose, bringing the total sum to 2.7 billion dollars.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, the Health Minister, Isaac Adewole however said that the success of the new agreement will be based on Nigeria’s fulfilment of its own part of the funding and ensuring a transparent utilization of the funds.
Adewole also disclosed that Nigeria was compelled to pay back 5.6 million dollars which was hitherto misappropriated, saying that everyone responsible for such misuse will be brought to book.
Recall that GAVI had decided to fade out its immunization funding to Nigeria by year 2020, following the debasing of the nation’s economy in 2014, which pitched Nigeria as a middle income country.
But with this new development, GAVI has now extended its funding to 2028.
On his part, Dr Faisal Shuaib, Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), who insisted that the nation must work hard in order not to blow up this opportunity, said with the approval from GAVI, the primary health care industry was getting an injection of funds that would ensure that PHC centres get adequate infrastructure for diagnosis, adequate drugs and better human resources.
Image credit… Reuters.com
