The Northern Traditional Leaders Committee on Public Health Care Delivery (NTLC) has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the Federal Government in resolving Nigeria’s public health challenges.

The NTLC chairman, HRH Muhammed Meira, Emir of Argungu, spoke at the National Primary Health Care Development Agency-convened fourth-quarter review meeting today in Abuja (NPHCDA).

He emphasized that the committee is critical to resolving our health challenges and that it stands ready to assist the government and the general public with their health concerns.

His words , “NTLC will continue to be a dependable ally for as long as you are prepared to work with us.

“As this year rolls to an end and a new year is about to begin, I want to call on all of us to rededicate ourselves to work selflessly and with all the influence we can muster to ensure the interruption of the spread of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus in the coming year.

“I call on the Presidential Committee on Covid-19 to reflect on past efforts against major public health concerns and re- strategies to convert vaccine hesitancy, misuse and spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria. I call on the FG to ensure adequate and timely funding of the operation of the NPHCDA.

“I urge all of us to continue to do more until every Nigerian child and mother is protected against risk of death or debilitating condition from ailments that can be prevented.

“Our development partners UNICEF, WHO and Gates Foundation, we cherish you and sincerely thank you for your support and trust,” he stated.

His Royal Highness also commended the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and his management team for their dedication to duty.

Similarly , the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar in his remarks hinted that: “This body was established 14 years ago to fight polio which we never looked back especially on our discharge and effort to ensure the health of the society.

“We want to go out to convince people about the COVID-19 pandemic and how to tackle it. For use to convince people the government needs to convince us, leaders, to convince people to take the vaccine. The people must have trust in the government. We will fight COVID-19 the way we fight polio.

“The traditional leaders need to be more educated to be able to educate their communities”.

The Executive Director NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib appreciated the support, sacrifice and leadership of the royal father over the last few years.

His words , “We have vaccinated over 8 million eligible Nigerians against COVID-19. Although this figure is far from our target of 112 million individuals to attain health immunity, we have seen a significant improvement in the figures since we launched the mass vaccination campaign to strengthen immunity against COVID-19.

“The Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 response, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health at the NPHCDA has approved the administration of booster doses for persons that have completed three doses of the vaccine. The booster dose is meant to strengthen the immune response to COVID-19. People who take the booster dose have greater protection against COVID-19.

“To be eligible to take the booster dose, you must be 18 years or above and must have received the second doses of the vaccine 6 months ago.

“The administration of the booster dose commenced on December 10, 2021 and it’s been sent all across the country. We call on all eligible Nigerians to get their booster doses, especially in the face of the Omicron Variant that is spreading so rapidly across the country. As you all are aware, the Omicron Variant of the COVID-19 virus has already been detected in Nigeria, although studies are being conducted to determine the nature of this variant.

“I want to assure you that the FG has deployed the necessary logistics to lodge and control the variant. We do not need to start a fresh war against Omicron. It is just a variant of the COVID-19 virus that can be handled if we comply and take recommended doses of the vaccine while continuing to observe protective measures such as wearing face masks, regular washing of hands and [keeping the] social distance to protect ourselves,” he hinted.

The WHO Representative in Nigeria, Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo said that Universal Health Coverage (UHC) will enable the Government of Nigeria to significantly increase investment in the health sector.

This, according to him is to relieve households of the heavy burden of out-of-pocket expenditure on health which is still above 70%.

He made this known at the Ministerial Press Conference to Mark the Global Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day, 12 December 2021.

According to him; “It is my honour and privilege, to participate in this auspicious event marking the global Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day 2021, with the theme “Leave no one behind, invest in health systems for all”.

 
“The theme of this year’s celebration, indeed reminds us of the need for countries to invest more in health systems towards achieving UHC in order to leave no one behind.

“This takes into cognizance evidence-based decisions and practical steps in population coverage on essential health services, and financial protection from poverty due to illness and access to healthcare.

“In August 2017, the WHO Region for Africa at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, adopted an Action Framework to ensure achievement of UHC and the SDGs through the Health Systems. More than ever before, we call for deliberate integrated actions across the six (6) building blocks of governance; health workforce; financing; infrastructure, medicines, products, and supplies; and information systems at the national and subnational levels.

 
“This call is particularly more imperative considering the ongoing global struggle to stem the tides of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here in our country Nigeria, we now face not only the challenges of communicable diseases with high burdens of HIV, Tuberculosis, Malaria, and Respiratory Tract Infections but have increasing cases of non-communicable diseases including Hypertension, Diabetes, and Cancers. We also have frequent disease outbreaks such as Cholera, Lassa Fever, Yellow Fever, Meningitis, etc, and protracted humanitarian crisis in security compromised parts of the country”, he said.

 
He, however, commended the goodwill of Mr. President in championing health reforms by commissioning the Presidential Health Sector Reform Committee under the Chairmanship of the Vice President. This is a unique opportunity we must leverage on while not missing existing opportunities in the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) towards improving primary healthcare and health security as well as the great potentials in domestic resources within the Nigerian private sector.

He further stated that, “As we come close to the end of another remarkable year, there is a huge opportunity to take stock of the dividends of health and healthcare provided to our people by articulating the annual state of the health report in line with the National Health Act 2014. This will not only showcase the achievements and progress made so far but will be useful in laying bare key challenges and areas where improvement would be needed.

“Finally, the WHO within our mandate and presence in Nigeria will continue to provide evidence-based technical support and expertise to the Government and people of Nigeria to achieve the highest health outcomes they desire”.

Following the discovery of the COVID-19 Omicron variant in Nigeria, the Federal Government evaluated the country’s immunization program and decided to roll out the booster dosage using the Pfizer Bio-N-Tech vaccine throughout the country.

This will go into effect tomorrow, Friday, December 10th, 2021.

Dr. Faisal Shuaib, Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) said Nigerian COVID-19 immunization campaign is science-driven.

He made this known at the flag off of the mass vaccination campaign. This is being done to fast-track the coverage of all eligible persons. Our special attention on the IDP Camps underscores the government’s recognition of the vulnerable conditions of our friends and families who are temporarily here.

The said, “Evidence has shown that the booster dose further increases protection against the virus. Eligibility for the booster dose includes being 18 years and above, fully vaccinated with either two doses of AstraZeneca, Moderna or Pfizer Bio-N-Tech or a single dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. The time interval before the booster dose is at least six months for these vaccines, except the Johnson and Johnson which is at least two months.

“This is another opportunity to be further protected. I therefore urge all those who have taken the right decision to be fully vaccinated, to walk into the nearest vaccination site for their booster dose as from tomorrow.

“I want to reassure everyone that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and efficacious. We have in place the required measures and precautions to ensure vaccine monitoring and accountability. We are committed to ensure that our vaccination teams will be available on site here and in other camps daily until every eligible person has received their vaccines. I therefore urge camp leaders to take responsibility and ensure all members are fully vaccinated. Please do not hesitate to demand for the vaccines if the teams stop coming and there are still unvaccinated persons in the camp. It is your right to get vaccinated.

“At this juncture, may I emphasize that taking the COVID-19 vaccine is not just an act of self-protection but also a civic duty to curtail the spread of the virus in the camp and in Nigeria. Every one of us has a critical role to play in mobilizing our friends, families, and camp mates to the vaccination site. Remember, no one is safe from COVID-19 until everyone is safe.

“Even after vaccination let us continue to wear our face masks, wash our hands frequently, observe physical distancing and avoid large gatherings until Nigeria achieves full vaccination of all its eligible population”, he said .

He continued, , “Today, Thursday December 9th 2021,  7,361,810 Nigerians have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and this represents 6.6% of the eligible population. 3,846,762 eligible Nigerians have received their second doses and are fully vaccinated against the virus representing 3.4% of the eligible population.

“As you are aware, since the detection of the first case of COVID-19 infection in Nigeria about two years ago, the Federal Government has taken decisive steps to control the spread of the virus in the Country. Despite the challenges of large-scale misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, Nigeria has successfully vaccinated over seven million eligible persons, and I am glad to inform that none of these persons has died as a result of receiving COVID-19 vaccine. Our record of successful vaccine roll out has been based on the consistent support from President Muhammadu Buhari and the guidance of the Chairman of Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 – Mr Boss Mustapha, and the Honorable Minister of Health – Dr Osagie Ehanire. While we remain grateful to God Almighty for using these leaders to intervene for our dear country, it is important to mention that the decision of over 7 million Nigerians to take the COVID-19 vaccine has been based on their rightful conviction that the vaccines are safe and effective in protecting them against the disease. We appreciate the courage, resilience and patriotism that Nigerians have continued to demonstrate in accepting to be vaccinated against COVID-19. And as time has come to prove that we were not wrong to have accepted the polio vaccine, time will come to prove that we are not wrong to accept the COVID-19 vaccine.

“The Federal Government under the able leadership of our dear President Muhammadu Buhari is determined to ensure that every eligible Nigeria and indeed any persons in Nigeria has access to the COVID-19 vaccines. It is in furtherance of this determination that we introduced the COVID-19 Mass Vaccination Campaign to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 Vaccines by everyone.

Our presence here today, to flag-off the vaccination of our brothers and sisters in these camps across the country is also in fulfilment of that determination. Everyone, no matter where they are in the country MUST have access to the COVID-19 vaccines.

And as a result of our commitment to all Nigerians, COVID-19 vaccines are now accessible in all public, primary, secondary, and tertiary health facilities, private health facilities, worship centres, schools, markets, motor parks, shopping malls, etc, in order to fast track social and economic recovery from COVID-19.  Suffice to say, we have sufficient doses of COVID-19 vaccines for this mass vaccination campaign.

 
Also, the Federal Commissioner, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim,
lamented that the COVID-19 pandemic has profound effect on nearly every aspect of our lives, it has stalled world economies, altered the way we work and communicate with our loved ones, and strained healthcare systems to their breaking point.

He stated that, the pandemic has increased the number of refugees and IDPs by over a million, “According to the UNHCR, current statistics reveal that between 2020 till date, there has been a sharp increase in the number of displacements by about a million, bringing the total number of internal displaced persons to about 3 million residing in camps and host communities across the country. There are also about 73,000 registered refugees from over 23 countries residing in Nigeria. These statistics signifies a 1.7% value of the nation’s population yet to be vaccinated.

“These Persons of Concern have had their livelihoods eroded by both man-made and natural disasters such as protracted fighting, insecurity, communal clashes, and the consequences of climate change, leaving them more vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic’s larger impact. The majority of them lack access to an adequate health care system and are stigmatized as a result of their situation. This is why the Commission is collaborating with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency to ensure that COVID Vaccines reach these vulnerable Persons of Concern”.

He said for nations to be able to return back to nomancy, then getting Covid-19 vaccination is imperative, “Vaccines will undoubtedly enable society to revert to ‘normalcy’ and restrictions continue to ease. To this end, I want to encourage our Persons of Concern who are 18 years and above to take full advantage of this initiative and get vaccinated, because according to experts, by getting vaccinated, you break the chain of disease transmission, you reduce mutations and Variants of the virus, you protect others, and even if you become ill, the severity of sickness is usually mild and does not require hospitalization”.