The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called on the government of Nigeria to adhere to the 15% health funding pledge made in the 2001 Abuja Declaration.
WHO Country Representative to Nigeria, Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo made the call on Saturday, April 15, 2023 in Abuja during a walk commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Organisation.
Mulombo said WHO was looking forward to a world where health issues would be treated as human rights, where health would be seen as enabler of socioeconomic development and not a consumption goods.
Also, “we look into a world where no child will miss a vaccine, we look into a world where no adult , no adolescent will miss a vaccine that will help them grow better.
“We look to a world where health issues will be considered the same way they consider security and developmental issues. I think with the member states who are the constituency of WHO it should be possible and including Nigeria”, he said.
Mulombo also emphasised the need to ensure regular exercise especially as there is a change in demographics.
He said: “We are here to remind the world through our “walk the talk”, that it is not about what we did in the last 75 years, but it is about what we would do in the next 75years.
“It is not about the last 5 years, it is about what we would do for the world in the next 5 years. It is not about yesterday, it is about tomorrow and the future.
Also speaking, United Nations (UN) Director, Ronald Kayanja, in a similar submission said exercise helps to improve life expentancy, deal with a number of diseases to include pandemics and the disease.
Kayanja explained that a minimum of 30 minutes exercise thrice a week is important for every human being, especially as humans are regularly transiting demographically.
“As our work continues to change, we are no longer in the farms many of us are in the offices we don’t do a lot of exercise and that leads to difficulties, so this walk is to celebrate WHO and to show one of the priorities of he organisation of ensuring people do physical exercises to limit the prevalence of non communicable diseases.”
On her part, Director General, National Senior Citizens Center (NSCC), Dr. Emem Omokaro, said WHO was articulating and strategising life cycles in health interventions starting from pregnancy to to the end of life.
She further disclosed that WHO was also mainstreaming older persons into immunisation to prevent avoidable deaths.
