President Muhammadu Buhari has officially lunched the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) Report, organised by the National Population Commission in collaboration with the National Malaria Elimination programme of the Federal Ministry of Health.
President Buhari, who was represented by the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, at the launch, recently in Abuja, stated that the (NDHS) is conducted every five years and it provides all planners, most especially those in health sector with reliable up to date demographic and health information and data in Nigeria.
He further, stated that the first survey conducted in 1991, was used to measure progress of Nigeria’s health interventions and progress in the areas of mortality indices for Women, infants and children, as well as other related human and social development indices, such as skilled birth attendance, antenatal care coverage, contraceptive and many others.
President Buhari noted that the launch of the Survey report would bring together key line Ministries, Departments, Agencies, Development Partners, National and International Non-Governmental Organisations. He urged relevant government agencies to factor the findings of the survey into policy formulation and health intervention programmes.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Cabinet office, Dr. Tunde Lawan, stated that the thematic areas of coverage of the study are in line with the vision of His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, aimed at improving health care and lifting 100 million people out of poverty in the next 10 years and deploying the population of the country as asset for development.
Dr Tunde Lawan noted that the indicators from the report covers areas like Fertility, family Planning among married women within the age of 15-49, Maternal Health Care among women within the age of 15-49, Child Health, Nutrition, Child Mortality; death per 1,000lives birth, Malaria, Domestic Violence among age 15-49 and Female Genital Cuttings.
The Acting Chairman of the National Population Commission, Bimbo Salu-Hundeyin, in her welcome remarks, stated that 2% of women and 2% of men ages 15 and above have difficulty or cannot function in  at least one domain of disability such as seeing, hearing communicating, remembering or concentrating, walking or climbing steps and washing all over the body or dressing up.
She therefore noted that the data on disability will be significant to the Social Development Statistics in planning for the wellbeing of persons living with disabilities in the country.
Enefaa Bob-Manuel
Head (Media &Public Relations)
