25 Years Strategic Plan for Health Sector.

This Health Strategy is a nation-wide sectoral document aiming to be a framework for health systems and services development during the coming 25 years (2003-2027). It provides a road map for identifying key priority areas and defining the context within which the health system will perform. The strategy will provide a guide to achieve the future Vision, which hopes "Building a nation of healthy individuals, families and communities, served by a health system that is equitable, accessible, affordable, efficient, technologically appropriate, environmentally appropriate and consumer friendly, with emphasis on quality, innovation, health promotion and in which the society participates actively". The consequent Mission is to provide health care that will enhance the quality of life of all citizens, permit them to lead socially and economically productive life, provide them with health basic needs and reduce their suffering.
Eight principle goals are highlighted (i) combat most common communicable diseases; (ii) promote healthy life style and reduce the burden of non- communicable diseases; (iii) reduce child and maternal mortality; (iv) develop, manage, and organize health human resources; (v) develop an integrated model of health care provision that deliver high quality accessible services; (vi) build the capacity of federal and state ministries of health to be able to implement the Strategy; (vii) develop sound financial and pro-poor policies and systems; and (viii) create an environment conducive to partnership building and promote the role of the private sector.
The document proposes also a number of cross-sectoral interventions to achieve health related goals, namely (i) provision of safe water and improved waste management; (ii) prevention and reduction of environmental pollution; (iii) raising income of the poor; (iv) reducing tobacco consumption; and (v) preventing road traffic accidents.
To help eliminate hunger and malnutrition, the Strategy focuses on neonatal mortality reduction through improvements in maternal nutrition and promotion of breast feeding, iodized salt and vitamin A supplementation.
Rural poverty reduction will be dealt with subsidies to the poor.
As for the Governance, main actions are (i) the development of improved management and quality systems at federal and state levels; (ii) create a staff with enhanced management role, equipped with the skills and knowledge for management, planning and leadership; (iii) development of a health information system based on health area and to generalize it in all health areas; and (iv) increasing of allocation of the national health budget for priority research problems.