The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, just launched, like, three big things. Or initiatives. Whatever you wanna call ’em. All aimed at helping women and kids. Specifically, maternal health, newborns, and child health stuff. Plus nutrition. And, you know, stopping those fake or just plain bad medical products, which, honestly, is kinda scary to think about.

These initiatives—they’re calling them the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health + Nutrition… MNCH+N. Then there’s the NAFDAC Office of Women and Children’s Health, NOWCH. And, finally, this National Action Plan on, uh, Prevention, Detection and Response to Substandard and Falsified Medical Products. 2023–2027, so it’s a long-term thing, I guess. All unveiled in Abuja. On Tuesday.

The big boss at NAFDAC, Mojisola Adeyeye, she called it a “defining moment.” A defining moment, she said, in Nigeria’s effort to like, make the health systems better. And protect those vulnerable groups. Especially women and children, of course. She says these initiatives, the three of them, are like, connected. Pillars, she called them. Showing NAFDAC’s commitment. You know?

“Through the Office of Women and Children’s Health,” she said – and I’m quoting here – “NAFDAC seeks to champion safe motherhood, promote rational medicine use, encourage breastfeeding, and combat harmful practices such as drug misuse and unsafe cosmetics.”

Safe motherhood. Important stuff.

And, get this, she said they’re gonna work with other groups. Ministries, NGOs, even private companies. To help make more medicines for kids locally. And menstrual hygiene products. Locally made is good, right? Creates jobs and stuff.

The MNCH+N thing, that’s supposed to tackle malnutrition and also, like, the sad fact that too many moms and kids die. You know, maternal and child mortality. They’re gonna regulate nutrition stuff better. And make sure breastfeeding policies are, like, actually enforced.

She also mentioned something about the WHO, UNICEF, and GAIN. Partnerships. “Partnerships with WHO, UNICEF, and GAIN continue to reinforce these regulatory and production systems for sustainable impact,” she said. So, yeah, partnerships…important, clearly.

Okay, so the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, he also spoke. Said these initiatives fit with President Bola Tinubu’s, uh, health reform stuff. You know, priorities.

He also said maternal mortality is down, like 17 percent, recently. And newborn deaths down 10 percent. Which is good. But, he said, and I think this is important, “the country still has a long way to go.” A long way. To get where we need to be, basically.

The Office for Women’s Health will focus on maternal nutrition. And reproductive health. Plus getting people safe medicines. I mean, it all sounds good, right? Locally produced products are becoming more common too. Thanks to the reforms. He said.

Pate also made a point about that National Action Plan on bad medicines. That it would boost drug safety and trust. In the whole health system. Sounds like a good plan, honestly.

He ended by, you know, calling on everyone to work together. So no one dies from stuff that could be prevented. You know?

And Regina Akume, she’s the Chairperson, House of Representatives Committee on NAFDAC. She said NAFDAC’s leadership is doing good stuff. Programs that will, quote, “have lasting impact on the health of women and children.” A lasting impact. That’s the goal, right?

She also mentioned that this new focus on women and children shows Nigeria is serious about protecting them. Ensuring pregnancies are safe. Kids are healthy. Families thrive. All that good stuff. Wait, no—thriving families. That’s what she said.

Plus, she likes that NAFDAC made that Office for Women and Children’s Health. Said it’s a platform for health policies that include everyone. And for research that helps women and kids. Specifically.

She’s also behind the National Action Plan on, again, substandard medicines. You know, getting rid of ’em. Said it’s key to building trust and saving lives. I think most people would agree, right?

“Substandard and falsified medicines endanger lives, erode trust, and undermine the progress we have made in healthcare delivery,” she said. Powerful words.

She wrapped it up by saying her ministry is gonna keep working with NAFDAC. To reach national health goals. Or maybe, national health goals. You know? It’s all connected, I guess. Seems like a big push in the right direction, hopefully.

Read Original