National Health Act, Best Gift For Children – UNICEF

The signing of the National Health Act is the best gift Nigeria can give to its children as they celebrate this year’s Children’s Day, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said in Abuja on Friday.

In a statement signed by its Head of Media and External Relations, Mr Geoffrey Njoku, the UNICEF commended the National Assembly for passing the National Health Bill into law.

It stated that with careful implementation of the provisions of the Act, the lives of women and children would improve, especially on health issues.

“As Nigeria celebrates its Children’s Day, UNICEF commends the National Assembly for passing the National Health Bill into law and looks forward to a quick assent by the President of the Republic to make it immediately implementable across the national territory,” the UN agency stated.

It quotes the UNICEF’s Country Representative, Dr Suomi Sakai, as harping on the need to scale up the implementation of a cost-effective and high impact interventions in all primary health centres in Nigeria.

The agency said that such a measure would bring the country closer to the attainment of the health-related Millennium Development Goals.

It emphasised the need for the government and its partners to ensure that no child was left behind in securing quality and equitable primary health care.

Reflecting on this year’s theme, “Good governance: Impact on the Nigerian child”, the agency said the critical role of good governance was in realising the full rights enshrined in the Convention of the Rights of the Child and Nigeria’s Child Rights Act of 2003.

“Good governance should equal child-friendly governance and ensure that every child is counted and visible in the state budget.

“Good governance should not just be for the few. It is our common plight to ensure, tirelessly, that all children have access to basic social services.”