The Nigerian government has expressed its commitment to the improvement of healthcare services available to Nigerians at the grassroots by launching the African Health Market for Equity - a partnership project with World Bank, International Finance Corporation Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DfID), Marie Stopes International, and Society for Family Health and several other organizations, bodies and agencies.
Speaking at the event, Prof.C.O.Onyebuchi Chukwu, Minister for Health, said the partners are committing $60 million to expand the coverage of priority health technologies and innovations to reach the poor in African countries such as Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya.
He said the project is a 5-year partnership that will bring affordable qualitative health services to 1 million Nigerians.
"It has special focus on increase in the scale and scope of franchise
healthcare, expanding from family planning and sexual reproductive
health to also address malaria, acute respiratory infections, diarrhea,
nutrition, maternal care, HIV and tuberculosis," the minister said.
According to him, the intervention is aimed at promoting social benefits instead of financial profit.
"It does this by organizing small independent providers into larger units and also focuses on
demand-side financing interventions targeted towards those in need of
services, such as poor women and children," the minister said.
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