World Health Day: Nigerian Youths Call For Action To Improve Adolescents’ Health

Youth leaders and civil society groups in Nigeria have urged the government to invest in equity-enhancing strategies to restore crumbling services for women, newborns, children and adolescents.
The Executive Director of the Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN), DrAminuMagashi, said this in Abuja on Tuesday to commemorate the 2021 World Health Day.
It was gathered that the World Health Day is being commemorated globally on April 7, under the theme “Together for a fairer, healthier world”.
On this occasion, the World Health Organisation (WHO) calls for urgent action to eliminate health inequities and mobilise action to attain better health for all and leave no one behind.
Magashi said that this year’s celebration was being held at the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic which continued to threaten the improvement in health and social services.
“The theme for this year’s World Health Day focusing on ‘Building a fairer, healthier world’ reminds us of a need to invest in equity-enhancing strategies to address the needs of the most vulnerable.
“COVID-19 has exacerbated inequities, putting at risk hard won gains that have been made over the past decade,” says Helga Fogstad, Executive Director of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH)
“Ensuring that women, children and adolescents are protected from the disproportionate indirect social and economic challenges of the pandemic and associated financial crisis will require action from all stakeholders,” adds Fogstad.
He disclosed that Nigeria was among 10 countries that recently heeded the call, and recently made major commitments to prioritise investments for the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents.
“The West African nation has pledged $2.3 billion during 2020-2028 for strategic interventions that protect the reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, adolescent and elderly health and nutrition through access to family planning services, immunisation and nutrition programmes.
“Today youth leaders, campaigners and representatives of civil society organisations from across Nigeria are meeting to deliberate on the progress of improving the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents in Africa’s most populous nation,” he said.
According to him, Nigeria has the largest youth population in Africa.
“Since the COVID-19 pandemic erupted, the group has been negatively affected more than others due to the disruptions of essential health, nutrition and social services”.