The Federal Government has expressed its readiness to partner with World Health Organization WHO/African Center for Disease Control to revitalize the health sector aimed at realizing the mandate of the present administration in providing health security for Nigerians.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar Kana mni, disclosed this when he received the delegates from WHO/African CDC to discuss a flagship initiative for Africa on strengthening preparedness and response to public health emergencies in Ship House, Abuja.
Dr Kana said that health remains a priority in any thriving society and as part of the reform processes in the Ministry of Defence, a proposal will be made to the President, to recruit more medical personnel into the Armed Forces to respond to emergencies both nationally and internationally.
The Permanent Secretary said the synergy between Nigeria and WHO will lead to achieving the vision and mission of the organization in providing health security especially in accordance with global best practices.
He noted that Ministry of Defence has an elaborate health system which is a subset of the Federal Ministry of Health which ensures that the health of Personnel and their families as well as the larger community is secured.
The Permanent Secretary further explained that the Health Services Department of Ministry of Defence is working to reposition its health system to provide support to the Ministry of Health when the need arises, noting that assessment is ongoing to identify strengths, weaknesses and opportunities which will help to develop and strenghten the system.
Speaking earlier, the leader of the delegation, Dr. Wondi Alemu said that Nigeria is among the five pilot countries in Africa that will be implementing the initiative, noting that WHO/ African Center for Disease Control (CDC) is ready to collaborate with Ministry of Defence to respond swiftly to future pandemics.
Other members of the delegation include African CDC, Federal Ministry of Health and Nigerian Center for Disease Control.
