The federal government has unveiled a National Oral Health Strategic Plan costing about N70 billion for 2026 to 2030, including measures to prevent and treat noma.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare Iziaq Adekunle Salako presented the plan in Abuja on Monday during the commemoration of National Noma Day and oral-health activities.
The programme aims to bring dental services into primary healthcare and expand access across the country’s 774 local government areas. It includes school oral-health programmes, prevention and earlier referral of suspected noma cases.
Salako said states and local governments were expected to provide about 49 per cent of the funding, the federal government about 30 per cent, and development partners the remainder, , as reported by ThisDay.
He described N70 billion as the minimum cost of implementation. The announcement sets out expected contributions rather than confirming that the entire sum has been released.
Salako said frontline health workers, traditional healers and birth attendants had been trained in 19 states to identify oral diseases and refer patients.
He urged states and councils to adopt and implement the plan, alongside measures to improve staffing, referral systems and primary healthcare facilities.
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