THE PaediatricAssociation of Nigeria (PAN) has faulted the Federal Government's allocation to the health sector in this year's budget, saying it fell abysmal low to the 15 per cent global recommendation by the World's Health Organisation (WHO).Besides, the association said that Nigeria would have to redouble its effort to be able to meet the 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) reduction in child mortality rate.Speaking in Osogbo recently ahead of its 43rd Annual General meeting and scientific conference, the National President of the Association, Dr. Dorothy Esangbedo lamented that successive administration in the country had refused to complied with theworld body's recommendation.She blamed the authorities for allocating about eight per cent of the budget to health while security received the largest chunk in the 2012 budget draft.According to her even though security needs priority attention it should not be at the expense of health of the country.Her words: 'We are not satisfied at all with what the Federal Government allocated to the health sector in this year's budget as was the case in the previous budget. This is because the World Health Organisation recommended that each nation should at least budget 15 per cent of its annual budget for the health sector, but the allocation to the sector in the budget is even less than eight per cent.Esangbedo listed corruption as a major factor militatingagainst the health of a child in Nigeria, pointing out that money that ought to have been spent in the purchase of hospital equipment, vaccines and drugs was often mismanaged by the people in position of authority.According to her most child death arose due to lack of resuscitation equipment when the child arrived addingthat the problem was not far-fetched from the level of corruption in the country.She stressed the need to strengthen existing legislation to cater for the rights of the child stating that what was obtained in the country was grossly inadequate.'Corruption is depriving Nigerian children of what is theirs. They are being deprived of their rights. They are being deprived of what they owned because some people are taking what jointly belongs to everybody.'Nigerian children because they cannot vote or be voted for deserve to be given all the necessary recognition due to them and they are now crying that government should stop corruption so that they can be given good health and education,' shesaid.
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