The Federal Government of Nigeria has rewarded States with improved health indices under the Saving One Million Lives Programme for Results (SOML Pfor R).
In this regards, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, assisted by the Honourable Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, recently in Abuja, presented cheques to deserving States.
At the ceremony, declared open by the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, Yobe State, immerging as the best(Star) performing State in terms of improvement in Maternal Neonatal and Child health in Nigeria from the Annual Performance Smart Survey 2017-2018, received a cheque of over 29.007million US Dollars.
Other States who were also rewarded based on different categories of performance were: Osun, 20million USD, Bornu-13million USD, FCT and all other States of the Federation.
The SOML P for R operates using 5 disbursement linked indicators namely: Increasing utilization of high impact reproductive, Child health and nutrition interventions; Increasing quality of high impact reproductive, Child health and nutrition interventions; Improving Monitoring and Evaluation systems and data utilization; Increasing utilization and quality of reproductive, Child health and nutrition interventions through private sector innovations and Increasing transparency in management and budgeting for Primary Health Centers.
The Programme was powered by an initial 500 million USD World Bank facility in an attempt to improve health outcomes in numbers. 82% of the total sum was disbursed to State governments as grants.
Attendance at the ceremony included: the Governors of Ekiti, Bauchi, Edo, Osun, Ondo, Kano and Borno States. Also present were the Deputy Governors of Niger, Yobe and Jigawa States.
Other dignitaries at the occasion were representatives of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Dangote Group of Companies, USID. the World Bank, Civil Society Organizations, the Private sector and Management Staff of the Federal Ministry of Health, amongst others.
Boade Akinola,
Director, Media and Public Relations,
