Health Bill - Nigeria is ranked 157, in a global index of national child health care survey, which tracked proportion of children who receive regular vaccinations and mothers who have access to life-saving emergency care at birth, among other criteria. Nigeria Country Director of Save the Children, Mrs Susan Grant, last weekend, said the index highlighted African countries such as Nigeria, 157 Sierra Leone, 144 and Ethiopia, 158, where it said millions of children risk dying due to gaps in availability of trained health workers.

Grant stressed that, "without health workers no vaccine can be administered, no life- saving drugs prescribed and no woman can be given expert care during child birth. Illnesses such as pneumonia and diarrhea, which are easily treated, become deadly.

"I acknowledge the current efforts of government, especially with the midwifery services scheme. However, Nigeria must be creative to get more health workers into poor and rural communities, where there are acute shortages of trained health workers. Failing to invest in health workers will cost lives. We call on President Goodluck Jonathan to sign the Health Bill and for Nigeria to deliver on its pledge of investing 15 per cent of the budget on health."

With a global shortfall of 3.5 million health workers highlighted by the survey, Grant said, Save the Children is lobbying world leaders at this year's annual UN meeting to end health workers' crises.

She added that the group is also lobbying the Federal Government to, "Not delay any longer the signing of the Nigerian Health Bill. Save the Children analysis shows that over half a million lives of children under-five could be saved every year."

The group further called on the government to, "increase the number and equitable geographical distribution of frontline health workers, particularly in rural areas in the Northern states. This includes providing sufficient support and salaries to midwives participating in the midwifery Service Scheme (MSS) initiative."

It also called for improved funding for health training institutions and, "ensure that such funding included as a line item in state and federal budgets and promote scholarships for female health providers."

Victoria Ojeme

Vanguard/19/09/2011