Nigeria needs strong health institutions —IANPHI boss

The President of the International Association of National Public Health Institutes, Prof. Pekka Puska, has urged the government at all levels to build health institutions that can stand the test of time.

Puska said this during a courtesy visit to the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos.

 He expressed the view that Nigeria and other African countries need strong institutions to drive ministries and national development.

He noted that though core public health programmes could span a longer period than the government ministries and agencies, it was important to put strong institutions in place in order to drive health-related ministries that will, in turn, propel national development.

“This is the business of IANPHI: to ensure that the capacity of affiliated 80-member institutions is strengthened,” Puska said.

In response, the Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Prof. Innocent Ujah, said many NIMR staff had benefited from the services of the IANPHI, a global initiative that aims to develop stronger and more coordinated public health systems through the development and support of National Public Health Institutes