Maternal, New Born and Child Health Standards and Federal Budgets 2010-2015.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Chapter One deals with the introductory issues. Maternal, New Born and Child Health (MNCH) is part of the right to health, which in turn is inextricably tied to the right to life. The right to life is the fulcrum upon which other rights revolve as human rights are only for the living. The easiest way to deny a potential beneficiary of MNCH services of her right to life is to deny her of MNCH services to the point of abrogation. Nigeria is under a minimum core obligation, as stated in national and international standards, to satisfy the minimum core content of the right to health which includes inter alia, MNCH rights.

The overall goal of this Study is to present evidence to policy makers, budget designers, implementing MDAs on how best to improve the quantity and quality of MNCH services available from federal level spending. It is part of an engagement strategy that will include the executive, legislature and non state actors for improvements in MNCH. The specific objectives of the Study are to:

• Review the alignment of federal MNCH budgets in the last six years with high level sectoral policy documents and best practices in budgeting.
• Review the implementation mechanisms of Goals 4, 5 and partially No. 6 of the MDGs and identify the reasons why Nigeria was unable to reach the targets in the Goals.
• Review issues of disability, youth and inclusion in the implementation of MNCH policies.
• Review the alignment of federal MNCH budgets with best practices in budgeting
• Identify areas that can be improved upon to make better use of available resources.
• Identify whether the Federal Government of Nigeria is using the maximum of available resources for the progressive realisation of the right to MNCH.
• Conclude and recommend areas that can be improved upon to make better use of available resources.

The Study in Chapter Two reviewed international and national standards on MNCH. The international standards include the standard setting Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the African Charter of Human and Peoples Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. It identified the minimum core content of the right to health to include MNCH. It outlined the need for economic, efficient and effective use of available resources, the need to tap new and dormant resources and the forward ever commitment without retrogression. The key provisions of the MDGs and SDGs were reviewed. National standards reviewed include the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, the Child Rights Act, National Health Act, Vision 20:2020, Transformation Agenda, National Strategic Health Development Plan and the Integrated Maternal, New Born and Child Health Strategy.

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