?The First Lady, Mrs Patience Jonathan, has called?on the private sector to partner with government to improve the health of the less privileged in the society.?
Jonathan said this at a dinner for international partners,?vaccine manufacturers, health administrators, research institutions, health workers, donor agencies and staff of the ministry of health at the State House in Abuja .?
She said: “I understand that you have had useful deliberations on how our nation can ensure universal vaccine coverage for preventable diseases and you have started developing mechanisms to ensure the commitment of all stakeholders to this noble cause.?
“I learnt that about one million Nigerian children die each year from conditions that can be prevented by simple vaccination, this sad situation is unacceptable.?
“I will like to appeal to the private sector to support this laudable programme. This they could do through Private Public Partnership arrangements,’’ she said.?
The First Lady said each year the government?provided funds for vaccines yet gaps remained and she hoped that the dinner with these stakeholders would proffer solutions that would bridge those gaps.?
Jonathan, who pledged that she would work with wives of state governors to advocate for provision of vaccines, said “our women must be protected from developing cancer of the cervix.?
“The campaigns should be taken to the grass roots and our people must be educated on the factors associated with these vaccine preventable illness.’’
She thanked all the local and international partners including the Paediatric Association of Nigeria and the John Hopkins International Vaccine Access centre for organising the Summit .?
Earlier, Dr Ado Mohammed, Executive Director, National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, thanked the president’s wife for hosting participants of the Summit, adding “it is a pointer to how important mothers and children are to the nation.?
“The Federal Government has done well to ensure there’s universal coverage of vaccination but we need to partner with business and corporate bodies because vaccine business is becoming increasingly expensive for government as more than N55 billion would be spent annually on vaccines.’’
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Minister of State for Health, Dr Ali Pate, wives of the governors of Adamawa, Cross River , Nasarawa , Niger , Plateau and Kogi States were at the dinner. ( NAN )