International financing organization, Global Fund, has arranged to invest about N1 billion in the Nigerian health sector over the next three years, says the Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole.
The Fund, which as at July, had disbursed $30 billion to countries and communities in need across the globe, has the aim of attracting and disbursing resources to prevent and treat HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
The minister disclosed the Fund's plan for Nigeria during the National Supply Chain Integration Project (NSCIP) retreat, held on Tuesday in Abuja.
According to the minister, the retreat, under the theme "Ownership and Sustainability", was part of the move by the Federal Government to address the constraints and inefficiencies in the country's supply chain.
He said government was investing in the project, because it is the backbone of an efficient health system.
"Without supply, there is no health system. When you have an integrated supply chain system, there will be nothing like out of stock, nothing like it has expired, which sometimes happen."
Mr. Adewole said the burden of the triple diseases of HIV, malaria and tuberculosis, remains a public health challenge in Nigeria.
"In 2015 alone, there was an estimated 214 million new cases of malaria, 438,000 drugs and of which Nigeria accounted for 25% of the total global debt.
"In 2014, the global estimate for tuberculosis shows that 9.6million new cases occurs; 5.4million among men, 3.2 million among women and one million among children. There are also 1.5million tuberculosis deaths."
The minister said while tuberculosis is treatable. Nigeria has a low case detection rate. "That is why for us in the ministry, we are declaring 2017 as a year of accelerated tuberculosis case finding in Nigeria".
He said there were about 38million people globally living with HIV at the end of 2015, with about 3 million Nigerians infected and out of which "we have been able to put about 50,000 to treatment."
The minister, however, assured that government was committed to moving as many people as possible from care to treatment.
Credit: Premium Times