The Legal Technical Working Group (TWG) dedicated to implementing the International Health Regulations (IHR) in Nigeria has called on the National Assembly to conduct subnational legal assessment of health laws in all states of the federation and develop necessary legal instruments for Implementation, where applicable.
The Legal Adviser of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Technical Area Lead for the “Legal Instrument Technical Area”, Safiya Musa said in a world where there is increased consciousness in the upending dangers of epidemics and health emergencies, the importance of developing our legal landscape to meet our current needs and align with international standards cannot be overemphasized.
She noted this on Monday at the TWG (Legal) quarterly meeting on IHR implementation organised by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) with support from Resolve to Save Lives.
She said the laws are legal instruments and are important for public health outcomes, adding that these laws are very important for key to preparedness and response to outbreaks globally.
Safiya lamented that the challenges Nigeria face today require innovative ,strategic and technical approaches in navigating the specific nuances of public health.
Other recommendations for priority actions during the meeting is the need for the National Assembly to perform a comprehensive gender assessment of legal instruments to identify and address gender-related considerations.
Also, the TWG further recommended the need to establish a framework, whether legislative or administrative, for legal surveillance across relevant government ministeries , ensuring periodic review of all legal instruments.
She further explained that the two days meeting will cross cut Nigeria’s performance at the recently concluded Joint External Evaluation and Priority actions arising from it, the Strategic Action for Public Health Reforms, and other areas of national importance in public health security.
