Former health minister Muhammad Ali-Pate has identified health security as critical in ensuring Nigeria’s socio-economic and political stability.

“Health insecurity can also affect economic security. We saw a pandemic crippling the world. It started as a health problem, but suddenly even those who didn’t have the disease were affected by the consequences of the pandemic,” he explained. “So, health security is a very key part of the development agenda of any reasonable society. In our country, for many years, we have been trying to improve primary healthcare and immunisation.”

Mr Ali-Pate stated this when he led a team of foundations and NGOs on a courtesy visit to Governor Atiku Bagudu at the Government House in Birnin Kebbi.

The delegation included World Health Organisation (WHO) representatives, Solina and Sultan foundations. 

Mr Ali-Pate, the team leader and a former junior health minister, said, “The purpose of our mission centred around health insecurity. There are infectious diseases that affect our children, young ones, women and adults every day. Whether they are things like measles that afflict our children and lead to loss of lives or pneumonia or tuberculosis or hepatitis or meningitis, all kinds of infections that can take the life of a young child or young person.”

According to the ex-minister, the diseases are preventable with immunisation.

“The absence of systems to deliver those vaccines and immunisation services itself is a contributor to health insecurity because if you have infectious disease from one person to another, you are actually undermining the ability of people to have a chance of surviving to adulthood to be healthy and productive contributors to societal growth and development,” Mr Ali-Pate explained.

(NAN)