Nigeria inaugurates MNCH Committee

From 2nd on left: Director, Family Health Department, Dr. Adebimpe Adebiyi; Ag. Director - General, NAFADAC, Mrs. Yetunde Oni and  Hon. Minister of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, during the inauguration in Abuja.

The Committee to help coordinate the improvement of the quality of healthcare for Mothers, Newborn and Children in Nigeria have been inaugurated by the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire.

Nigeria is one of the first wave of countries to be part of the network to improve quality of healthcare. 

At the inauguration of the steering and technical committee Monday 6 February, 2017 in Abuja, Ehanire appreciated the World Health Organization for accepting Nigeria’s admission into the WHO-led Network towards improving quality of healthcare for mothers, newborns and children.

He reiterated that Nigeria’s support of the WHO vision where ‘every pregnant woman and newborn receives quality healthcare throughout, childbirth and the postnatal period’ as a country.

The Nigerian Government's commitment towards developing health care strategies and planning are  in line WHO recommendation.

Members of the Steering Committee include the Minister of Health; Minister of State for Health and Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development. Others are Ministers of Finance, Agriculture, Education, Water Resources, Environment, and Information and Culture. 

They also include the Permanent Secretary of Federal Ministry of  Health; Directors of the Department of Health Services, Family Health Department, and Health Planning Research and Statistics. The Executive Secretaries of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and National Health Insurance Scheme among others are also listed.

The Terms of Reference of the Steering Committee, among others is to provide high level leadership for coordination of quality of care (QoC) interventions for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH), in Nigeria. 

Other expectations of the technical committee  include to contribute to the development of a national quality of care strategies of health services and develop an action plan/road map to improve national quality of care of health services for RMNCAH in Nigeria.

In her welcome remark, the Permanent Secretary, FMOH, Mrs.  Binta Adamu Bello, who was represented by the Director, Hospital Services, Dr. Wapada Balami, said  the inauguration was coming at a time when several plans are being made for Nigeria to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.