We’re Committed To Fully Immunized Children – Pate

The federal government has said it was committed to ensuring all Nigerian children are fully immunized and ensuring no child lacks access to immunization.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, said this on Monday at the inaugural Quarterly Performance Dialogue between the Federal Government, 36 State Governments, and all key stakeholders in the health sector.

The federal government said the inaugural dialogue marked bold and hopeful step towards transforming the country’s health system through the “Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative and the Sector-Wide Approach, emphasizing the cooperative federalism mandated by the National Health Act of 2014.”

He added that the inaugural dialogue was in line with the government’s unwavering commitment to improving population health outcomes for all Nigerians.

Pate said President Bola Tinubu-led administration was out to foster collaboration and share responsibility among all health providers across various levels of government, the private sector, and invaluable development partners.

“We are grateful for the steadfast support of our development partners, who ensure that resources are directed towards priority areas that will significantly enhance health outcomes for our citizens.

“This is not just about cooperation; it is about accountability and collective progress. We have agreed to hold each other accountable, learn together, and work together through regular performance dialogues and evaluations,” he said.

The Minister of Health listed that the federal government was committed to improving the proportion of fully immunized children and reducing the number of zero-dose children (children that lack access to or are never reached by routine immunization services, according to World Health Organization, WHO).

Pate called on the state commissioners of health and local government supervisory councilors of health to assist in tracking progress of the government in achieving the set health goals.

“At the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, we have committed to achieving several key indicators: improving Penta 3 coverage, increasing the proportion of fully immunized children, reducing the number of zero-dose children, enhancing the proportion of deliveries attended by skilled birth attendants, improving antenatal care coverage, and increasing access to health insurance and primary healthcare services.

“We are also committed to tracking the utilization rates of various services and the satisfaction of our population. We encourage states to track their progress against these indicators.

“I am hopeful and confident that the 774 local governments will also join this effort to collectively improve the health of Nigerians,” he added.