by Hauwa Gambo

We don’t know what to make of this.

Ali Pate, who is the Minister of State for Health, yesterday gave a report to the Federal Executive COuncil on how his ministry will save the lives of at least one million NIgerians.

To do this, the minister is meeting with the commissioners of health in the states in the next week. He will also be working with the local governments. The strategy is to fight illnesses that are preventable – HIV/AIDs and maternal/child mortality, for instance.

“The truth is that we can save one million lives in this country from now until 2015 and the methodology tells us that with specific intervention that are cost effective, we can save those lives,” the minister said. “For instance, based on what we are doing on maternal  health, through front line health workers, midwives, and community health workers, who provide basic commodities for new born care and post natal visits, we can save up to  84,000 maternal lives from now to 2015; and up to 252,000 new born lives from now to 2015.”

What do you think?