Save the Children International, Nigeria has commenced implementation of state-level dissemination of the National Integrated Pneumonia Control Strategy and Implementation Plan, which was launched by the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) in 2020.
The strategy was developed through a multi-stakeholder collaboration between FMOH and Every Breath Counts Coalition.
It is an integrated approach that aligns with and builds on existing national policies and strategies on child health.
The dissemination event took place on Tuesday in Dutse, the Jigawa state capital and was attended by stakeholders at national, state and local levels.
Pneumonia which is also termed the “forgotten killer” has not been given much attention as other childhood diseases over the years in Nigeria.
The introduction of this strategy is not only placing pneumonia at par with other killer diseases but provides a sustainable pathway towards the eradication of the disease in Nigeria.
Nigeria cannot achieve its goal of ending preventable child deaths without deliberately targeting tested and proven interventions that protect against, prevent, detect and treat children with pneumonia.
Like many other diseases, pneumonia is fueled by socio-cultural and socio-economic barriers and inequities that put children from low-income families at the greatest risk of pneumonia deaths.
Although pneumonia is preventable and treatable, the weakened health system, particularly at the primary healthcare level means that more children will not have access to timely care.
The National Integrated Pneumonia Control Strategy delivers tangible priorities and recommendations; as well as coordination and accountability mechanisms to strengthen pneumonia control in a manner that is integrated into existing child health policies and strategies in Nigeria.
This emphasizes that this strategy does not prioritize pneumonia-focused programming, or isolated approaches, but calls for a strong coalition of partners to put pneumonia on the map and ensure funding and progress matches its disease burden.
“It is not acceptable to see that millions of children are dying every year from a disease that we have the knowledge and resources to defeat.
We only need more commitment and dedication to ending the killer disease. said, Amanuel Mamo, Acting Country Director, Save the Children International Nigeria.
“At Save the Children, we have resolved in line with the vision of our funder that, we will continue to do our best through a partnership with our allies like GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and in collaboration with the government to ensure that children who are suffering from pneumonia have access to vaccines, antibiotics and oxygen, which are essential to stop the scourge of pneumonia”.
Dr Isah Adamu, Chief of Party, INSPIRING Project, Save the Children International Nigeria said, “Save the Children International, through the INSPIRING project funded by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), is pleased to be part of this progress and accelerated efforts towards ending preventable child deaths due to pneumonia.
