Senate Lampoons Federal Government Over Plan to Borrow $200m to buy Mosquito nets
- The Nigerian Senate has condemned the federal government's recent move to borrow $200 million to fight malaria
- Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe, the chairman Senate committee on health decried the plan to import the mosquito nets
- Oloriegbe wondered why the government planned to borrow despite the money budgeted to fight malaria in the proposed 2022 budget
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Abuja - The Senate Committee on Health has rained heavy knocks on the federal government over its plan to borrow $200 million to buy mosquito nets and medicines to fight malaria.
Daily Trust reports that the committee chairman, Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe faulted the move following the presentation of Mammam Mahmuda, the permanent secretary, ministry of health, on Tuesday, October 26.
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In his presentation before the committee, Mahmuda, said the loan had become necessary due to high rate of under five mortality which caused by malaria and inaccessibility to malaria treatments.
The permanent secretary said if the loan is approves, it would be used to buy mosquito nets and medicines to be distributed to 13 vulnerable states who have no access to malaria treatment.
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However, Oloriegbe and other members of the committee lampooned the permanent secretary and executive director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib who fefending the loan request.
Despite the N450 million already budgeted to fight malaria, the chairman of the committee picked holes in the request saying Nigeria was already enjoying a loan for the same purpose, Eagle Online added.
While decrying plans to import mosquito nets, the committee demanded more details on the loan and asked the officials to return back.
Historic Moment as WHO Approves First Malaria Vaccine in the World
In a previous report by Legit.ng, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has approved RTS,S/AS01, a vaccine to prevent malaria.
The decision by the global organisation is coming after a review of a pilot programme deployed in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi since 2019 where more than two million doses of the vaccine were given.
WHO said it is recommending use of the first malaria vaccine in history among children in places with moderate to high malaria transmission.
Source: Legit.ng
