By Cecilia Ologunagba
Abuja – Stakeholders working in Malaria, Tuberculosis and HIV on Friday appointed the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, as 8th Chair of Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) for the Global Fund (GF) for Nigeria.
CCM Nigeria, the custodian of GF grant, is a body of representative of government, bilateral and multilateral organisation, civil society organisations, patients, community, private sector and academia.
The mandate of CCM is to oversee the delivery of Global Fund HIV, Tuberculosis, Malaria and Resilient Sustainable Systems for Health (RSSH) grant.
Ehanire was elected unopposed for the next three years at the end of a three-day annual retreat of the CCM in Abuja.
Responding, the minister thanked the stakeholders for electing him to lead and coordinate the fund to reduce the burden of the three diseases as well as strengthening the health systems in the country.
He said issues of transparency and accountability would be his watchword in the implementation of GF grant on AIDS, TB, Malaria and RSSH.
He promised to continue to prioritise these three diseases as the current Chair of the CCM.
“I know I will be able to rely on your support to succeed; we have the issues of transparency and trust and we will be working together to achieve the issues.
“We want to make sure that we achieve this mandate of helping our citizens who suffer from the three diseases of AIDS, TB and Malaria.
“I want to thank you for nominating me, we will do our best to work together; I promise you that I will operate open door policy,’’ the minister said.
Also speaking, Country Director of UNAIDS, Erasmus Morah said accountability framework should be put in place to track GF implementation for optimum result.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some of the issues discussed at the meeting were the provision of Indirect Cost Recovery for local NGOs serving as implementers.
Others were programmes to develop a roadmap on funding request for the diseases, harmonising roadmap for funding request, copy of Chemonics contract to be shared by Global Fund, among others.
The annual meeting is an avenue to deliberate on CCM operations for the year and grant performance, identify challenges and proffer solutions.
The meeting also provided opportunity for the CCM to address emerging issues of importance.
(NAN)
