EU Investment In Nigeria’s Health System Hits €200 Million In 17yrs

The European Union (EU) says in the past 17 years, €200 Million has been invested to propagate Nigeria’s Health System.

The EU ambassador to Nigeria and West Africa, Ketil Karlsen, disclosed this at the European Union Support to Immunisation Governance (EU-SIGN) seminar in Abuja, on Thursday.

According to him, despite the funds invested in Nigeria’s health sector between 2002 and 2019, the country still has a long way to go with the immunisation of children.

Speaking at the seminar themed: “Improving Immunisation Governance: Progress, Challenges, Good Practices, Lessons and Recommendations for the future,” Karlsen said this has left the union with mixed feelings.

 “Fundamentally the European Union has provided very long and consistent support for the health sector in Nigeria.

“€200million since 2002, straight 17 years nonstop we had partnered with Nigeria authorities, specific society and state government.

“We stand here with mixed feelings in the sense that only yesterday we celebrated three years without new cases of polio in Nigeria.

“It is only possible, thanks to the collaboration between partners, the federal government, state government and also civil society and a number of international organisations.”

“But there is still a mixed feeling, nevertheless, because when you look at the numbers, we see that many children are in difficult health conditions.” he said.

He added that “Looking at the immunisation rate in the country, the North in general and the Northwest in particular, we know that there is a long way to go.”

Describing the UNICEF statistic that one million children below the age of five years in Nigeria die every year as an alarming figure, Karlsen assured that  the EU will continue to support the Nigerian government on its health programmes and policies.