The Federal Government has said the implementation committee of the National Surgical, Obstetrics, Anaesthesia and Nursing Plan (NSOANP) for Nigeria has commenced the process of revision towards developing another five-year plan to maximize the gains of growing and strengthening the nation’s health care delivery.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, who spoke at the 4th NSOANP and National Cleft Care Stakeholders Forum in Abuja at the weekend, called for evaluation of the gains, challenges and lessons from the first plan with a view to finding shifts from the baseline towards producing a reliable and robust NSOANP strategy that will guide implementation for the next five years.
NSOANP is Nigeria’s 5-year plan (2019-2023) with sole purpose of improving services in surgery, obstetrics, anaesthesia and nursing, so that the appropriate care is provided for all adults and children at all levels of healthcare with financial ease.
Represented by the Dr. Jimoh Salaudeen, Director of Hospital Services and the Chair of NSOANP implementation committee, the minister explained that NSOANP is a strategic initiative that serves as a beacon, guiding towards an era where healthcare is not just a service but a guarantee of quality, compassion and efficiency.
“This year is the terminal period of the 5-year Plan (NSOANP) and I am aware that a sub-committee of the implementation committee has commenced the process of review towards developing another 5-year plan. It is my expectation that the gains, challenges and lessons from the first plan will be analyzed with a view to finding shifts from the baseline towards producing a reliable and robust NSOAP strategy that will guide implementation for the next five years,” he said.
The minister commended development partners that have leveraged on NSOANP particularly Smile Train to positively affect some areas in health delivery.
“Smile Trains model of partnerships has laid the foundation for implementing NSOANP. Let us keep collaborating and sharing ideas on how best to raise the standards of surgical care in Nigeria.
“Smile Train has an existing MoU with the ministry and this has gone a long way to positively affect some areas in health strengthening. This relationship has deepened research capacity, helped Nigerian children by way of a robust electronic database for surgery. All these are laudable achievements and work in progress. The ministry is open and available to more partnership and engagement towards expanding the frontier of safe surgery for Nigerians,” the minister noted.
Also speaking, NSOANP implementation committee co-chair, Prof. Emmanuel Ameh, stressed that NSOANP is gradually but steadily changing the narrative for Nigeria’s surgical healthcare system.
Prof. Ameh maintained that the modest achievements of the last 4 years should be supported and consolidated to facilitate the realisation of Universal Health Coverage.
Earlier in her opening remarks, Smile Train’s Vice President and Director for Africa, Mrs. Nkeiruka Obi noted that the investment and consistency of implementing the NSOANP has put Nigeria on the global map in advocating for quality surgical healthcare services.
Mrs. Obi, however, called on stakeholders to leverage collaboration and innovation in elevating quality cleft care within the local community.
“Smile Train is proud to support the implementation of NSOANP, which has put Nigeria as the reference benchmark for other countries across Africa. The prioritisation of perioperative nursing within the plan is a win for our nurses on the frontline of healthcare. The inclusion and prioritisation of children’s surgery is a victory for children’s surgery providers, as children’s surgical care would no longer be overlooked.
“These small steps that bring us together are a win for our healthcare system. The success of NSOANP creates an advocacy platform as we play our part towrds achieving Universal Health Coverage,” she said.
Picture caption: Stakeholders and partners at the 4th NSOANP and National Cleft Care Stakeholders Forum in Abuja at the weekend.
The event also saw media professionals Ezedimbu Karen Ogom of the African Independent Television, Lara Adejoro of the PUNCH Newspaper and Blessing Omeche Ebute of the Nigerian Television Authority being celebrated at the Cleft Awareness Media Awards.
The Awards, which have been running for three consecutive years, recognizes media professionals for creating awareness, dispelling myths, and shunning stigma surrounding clefts.
