Nigeria to spend 1% of its annual health budget on family planning in bid to cut infant mortality rate

NIGERIA is to spent 1% of its annual health budget at all levels on family planning as part of efforts to reduce the high infant mortality rate in the country under a new initiative launched by health minister Dr Osagie Ehanire.

Dr Ehanire unveiled the new policy while commemorating 2022 Safe Motherhood and Vasicovigina Fiscula (VVF) Day in Abuja. At the event, he launched a Reproductive, Maternal Newborn, Child, Adolescent and Elderly Health Plus Nutrition policy document and inaugurated a Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response steering committee.

Organised by the Federal Ministry of Health in partnership with Rotary Action Group for Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health, and German Cooperation, the event highlighted the fact that family planning in Nigeria is at a low level. This is a major factor in the fertility pattern and population growth rate.

Despite several efforts in the last few years, the modern contraceptive prevalence rate is about 12%, indicating the need for adoption of more innovative strategies and channels of service delivery. Dr Ehanire said: “The federal government of Nigeria is working to ensure availability of family planning commodities and services by launching the FP2030 commitment to increase domestic funding and sustainable financing through earmarking one per cent of the health budget at federal and state levels and perhaps also at local government level.”

He added that there are other actions taken by the government to ensure that everybody aligns with the initiative. Dr Ehanire said the strategy allows eligible citizens including adolescents, young people and vulnerable populations to make informed choices and get equitable, affordable access to quality family planning participation in national development.

“Maternal and parental death surveillance and response is a priority initiative that gives the serious subject of maternal, parental and infant mortality and morbidity audit the attention it requires," Dr Ehanire added.