Health Stakeholders Pledge To Save Lives Of Women And Children In Nigeria

States Accountability Mechanisms (SLAMS), voluntarily established at state levels to advocate for health sector budget has pledged to sustain engagement with stakeholders to save the lives of women and children in Nigeria. 

This was contained in a press release issued at the end of a one day bi-annual general meeting organized by the Coalition for Maternal and New Child Health (C4MAN) and supported by the Maternal and New Child Health (MNCH2), a DFID funded program in Abuja. 

The SLAMS shared concerns over the poor funding and releases to the health sector especially in the northern part of the country which has led to several deaths of women and children.

The meeting maintained that with more attention given to the health sector, particularly at the Primary Healthcare level, there will be improvements in the quality of health among communities.

Formation of the SLAMS was supported in six states by the MNCH2 to facilitate the drive towards creating awareness on people’s expectations of government in the provision of a good health care system.

The meeting also charged politicians to include their proposals on health care development on their manifestos as the nation moves to the next general election in 2019.

The meeting drew participants from the MNCH2 supported states of Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Jigawa, Yobe and Zamfara as well as the MAMAYE E4A supported states of Gombe, Lagos and Bauchi and other partners.

The meeting also resolved to continue to advocate to governments at all levels including federal, states and local to ensure the attainment of the 15 per cent minimum allocation to the health care sector on their annual budget and to ensure timely release of such fun