The Federal Government has promised to adopt more proactive policies and measures towards eliminating polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases in the country.
Minister of Health, Dr Emmanuel Osagie stated this in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital on Tuesday during the National Scientific Conference of the National Association of Community Health Practitioners of Nigeria.
Speaking through the Chief Medical Director, Federal Teaching Hospital Ido-Ekiti, Professor Kunle Ajayi, the minister explained that though Nigeria had reached an appreciable percentage in the eradication of vaccine diseases, more efforts still needed to be put in place to ensure total eradication.
He stressed the need for health workers to step up the quality of their operations and support the government in recording hundred per cent immunization coverage for children across the country.
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“We have a target to get rid of all vaccine diseases in children, this is why we require improved service delivery by health workers. All hands must be on deck at this time to achieve zero per cent in the elimination of these diseases,” he said.
Earlier, the acting National President of the National Association of Community Health Practitioners of Nigeria, Alhaji Musa Konto stressed the need for government to upgrade the various health facilities across the country.
He added that better welfare packages for community health officials would assist in no small measure in achieving universal health care coverage.
On his part, the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi who spoke through the Head of Service, Mr Ayodeji Ajayi said the government would provide the needed platform and resources towards eradicating vaccine-preventable diseases in the state.
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