FG budgets N415m for HIV/AIDS, cancer, malaria control

These provisions for these are in the 2014 budget proposals recently laid before the National Assembly by President Goodluck Jonathan, through the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
For the 2014 fiscal year, the Federal Government is proposing a sum of N15.497 billion total allocation for the Headquarters of the Ministry of Health out of which N9.109 billion is for total capital and N6.387 billion, for total recurrent.
The details of the budget proposal reveal that a sum of N115 million will be spent on HIV/AIDS control, N213.321 million on cancer control and another N85.653 million on malaria control.
According to the Appropriation Bill, the ministry’s project on HIV/AIDS control comprises expansion of access to treatment; care and support to people living with HIVS; establishment, assessment and upgrading of additional 100 sites nationwide and HIV test kits.
For malaria control, lined up are such projects and programmes as: operational cost for distribution of long lasting insecticide treated bed nets and integrated vector management of malaria; while the cancer control comprises baseline data survey for cancer burden and ionizing, radiation activities in the federal health institutions, purchase of mobile cancer screening van and support for radiotheraphy and nuclear medicine activities of tertiary hospitals.
Further details of the budget proposal indicate that the ministry has set aside a sum of N9.109 billion for the construction/provision of hospitals/health centres.
The Appropriation Bill also reveals that the ministry has introduced such new projects as procurement of narcotic drugs, N32.6 million; national demographic and health survey, N55.264 million; port health service, N50.356 million; diseases eradication and control programmes, N88.224 million; support for nursing services and midwifery scheme, N246.869 million; implementation of e-health policy, N80.708 million; among others.
These are apart from N107.754 million earmarked for fuel and lubricants, N44.302 million for consulting and professional services, N24.359 million for training, N138.289 million for materials and supplies; N188.5 million for travels and transport, N18 million for electricity charges, N4.7 million for telephone charges.