Expansion Healthcare access to the poor and vulnerable: The case of PACFaH@Scale project in Nigeria

Nigeria falls significantly short of the universal health coverage (UHC) targets set by the nation. Nigeria’s public health expenditure is sub-optimal, with out of pocket expenditure at 71.5 %, a 0.2% decrease from 2014 WHO Global Health Observatory for Nigeria. The relatively high levels of private out of pocket expenditure do not reflect improvements in the health systems and the achievement of the goal of UHC. Access in Nigeria to lifesaving drugs for the poor and vulnerable is generally low, with only a proportion afforded adequate coverage. Two of such drugs in focus are Amoxicillin DT and Zinc-LO-ORS described by UNICEF and WHO as effective and cheap for the first line treatment for childhood pneumonia and diarrhea, respectively.
It is on this premise that the Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health at Scale (PACFaH@Scale) project, a social accountability project anchored  by the development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) sought to expand healthcare access to the poor and vulnerable by advocating for the inclusion of the WHO recommended treatment protocols and the subsequent increase in the implementation of the newly adopted policies to end childhood killer disease (Amoxicillin Dispersible Tablet and co-pack Zinc-LO-ORS for Childhood Pneumonia & Diarrhoea respectively) through the Primary Health Care (PHC) system and with community pharmacists (CPs) and patent proprietary medicines vendors (PPMVs) as private sector providers at National level and in Niger, Kaduna and Kano States.

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