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Monday, May 25, 2009
WHO tasks Nigeria on better health systems, swine flu checks
- World Health Assembly closes with resolutions on public health
By Chukwuma Muanya, Geneva
THE Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr. Margaret Chan, has tasked Nigeria on the need to redouble her efforts in strengthening the health system to meet the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and improve surveillance on Influenza A (H1N1).
Chan, at a meeting with the Nigerian Health Minister, Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin, and the country's delegation to the 62nd World Health Assembly (WHA), said there is need to strengthen the Primary Health Care (PHC) services, improve the quality of training for human resources on health and health information management system, while doing the other necessary things. She stressed that the power of public health lies in strong health systems.
Chan urged Nigeria to work closely with her partners to develop joint country strategy to see that her plans are incorporated. She said this would ensure that Nigeria gets the required technical assistance.
On Influenza A (H1N1) surveillance, the WHO director-general advised Nigeria not to focus so much on screening at ports of entry except when she is doing it for political reasons, but more on education and early treatment where there might be cases.
Comments from experts at the WHA, including Chan, suggest that an Influenza A (H1N1) pandemic is imminent. Chan said: "The decision to declare an influenza pandemic is a responsibility that I take very, very seriously." Director of Special Duties, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Abdulsalami Nasidi, said: "Influenza A H1N1 pandemic is imminent. The world must prepare."
According to an Influenza A H1N1 update by WHO, as of Saturday morning, May 23, 2009, 43 countries have officially reported 12, 022 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection, including 86 deaths.
The 62nd WHA, which brought together health ministers and senior health officials from WHO member-states, closed Friday with the adoption of resolutions on a variety of global health issues, including primary healthcare, the prevention and control of multi-drug resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis, public health, innovation and intellectual property and pandemic influenza preparedness. The health assembly also passed the programme budget for 2010 -2011.
Chan further said her decision would consider the scientific information available, and would be supported by advice from the emergency committee, a body of international experts established in compliance with the international health regulations.
The director-general outlined what might be seen, based on current knowledge, as the virus continues to spread over the coming weeks and months.
She called for close monitoring of the virus as cases begin to appear in the southern hemisphere, where the new virus will have opportunities to mingle with other currently circulating influenza viruses as the winter seasonal influenza epidemics begin.
She noted that in cases where the H1N1 virus was widespread and circulating in the general community, countries must expect to see more cases of severe and fatal infections, even though a sudden and dramatic jump was not expected at present. She again reminded the international community of the particular vulnerability of populations in the developing world.
The Health Assembly passed 15 resolutions. Among them are:
- Prevention and control of multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis;
- global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual property;
- pandemic influenza preparedness: sharing of influenza viruses and access to vaccines and other benefits;
- prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment; and
- Health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan;
- primary health care, including health system strengthening; traditional medicine; reducing health inequities through action on the social determinants of health; and the medium-term strategic plan 2008-2013.
The health assembly also heard progress reports on a variety of health issues such as polio eradication, where delegates expressed deep concern with continued polio transmission in endemic countries but reiterated their firm commitment to the goal of global polio eradication.
Also, the Nigerian Ambassador to Switzerland and Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations, Dr. Martin I. Uhomoibhi, at a meeting with the Nigerian delegation yesterday said there was need for the country to take its proper place in the comity of nations, especially in the WHA.
Chan said: "Nigeria is strategic in Africa - being the biggest country. You need to really focus on strengthening the health system. Not just focus on the health system, but create integral working unit along the lines of the district health system where there is linkage between all three tiers of government.
"Human resources problem is a global thing. Nigeria needs to look inwards and come up with other inventive ways to improve human resources for health. Countries like Afghanistan, China, have the same problems but they are making huge progress in tackling it.
"There is also need to improve your health information system as that is what you need to make evidence-based decision to improve the health system. You should not lose sight of the joint planning that countries usually have with WHO, especially on all partners so that you could really put all you require on the agenda so that by the time this comes to the headquarters, they would get the required support."
Osotimehin briefed the WHO chief on what Nigeria has done in terms of international public health concern of Influenza A (H1N1). He said the country is trying to reposition its health system, especially at the primary care level, to strengthen it to be able to meet the up-coming challenges.
He asked the WHO to provide technical assistance to the country to see how she could best go about it, especially at the primary care level. Osotimehin said Nigeria plans to expand routine immunisation by 2010 with the inclusion of more vaccines.
The minister also asked for technical assistance in the area of health financing to make it more efficient and to improve the scheme of health sector development plan and reforming the health system, and also the health information system in a global and generic manner.
Uhomoibhi, who is also the chairman of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), said: "Nigeria has different agenda to control in the health sector and the minister of health is physically present and has taken charge of things. The role of the embassy here in this circumstance is to be as supportive in providing logistics support and also diplomatic support to the representation of the ministry in each of these meetings that take place here.
"We should make sure that we attend all the meetings and get actively engaged in regional, sub-regional and global meetings. That is the way to go about it. I must commend the health minister because this is the first time a Nigerian delegation to the WHA has been this committed to re-launching the country back into the scheme of things."
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