The Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), in collaboration with Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health at Scale (PACFaH@Scale), has organized a one-day workshop on the implementation of the Nigeria Standard Treatment Guidelines (NSTG) and Essential Medicines List (EML) for the northeast and north-west zones.
In her opening remarks during the workshop held in Kano, the representative of FMOH Pharm. Mrs. Beauty Okologo, urged the key stakeholders to fully domesticate both strategic policies.
“The revised policies have the WHO recommended protocol for the management of Childhood killer diseases, but they are flexible that states can review according to their peculiar needs”.
Prof. Haruna Wakili, Program Director PACFaH@Scale in Kano, in his remarks stated that the role of the PACFaH@Scale project is to ensure accountability and timeliness in budgetary allocation and release to the health sectors.
"The PACFaH@Scale project is supporting government and other relevant stakeholders to properly address child spacing, routine immunization, primary health care under one roof (PHCUOR) and ending childhood killer diseases," he said
On his part, Dr. Edwin Akpotor of pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria urged the stakeholders from the North-West and North-East to include the childhood Pneumonia and Diarrhoea protocols in their respective State Essential Medicines List.
"There is need for the States present at this meeting to ensure Amoxicillin Dispersible Tablet and co-pack Zinc/Lo-ORS for Pneumonia and Diarrhoea respectively are available and affordable at all health facilities," he said.
At the end of the workshop, the stakeholders from the two zones indicated their commitment to scale up the availability and use of the commodities recommended for the management of childhood Pneumonia and Diarrhoea (both diseases are responsible for 23% of deaths of children under the age if five in Nigeria).
