1) The document is a transcript of a radio program discussing Nigeria's efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) related to health in Enugu State. 2) The guests include the Special Adviser to the Governor on MDGs, the state focal person for MDGs, and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health representing the Commissioner of Health. 3) They discuss Enugu State's work providing healthcare access through over 200 new or renovated rural health centers, implementing a free maternal and child healthcare program, and collaborating across agencies and with community participation to reduce mortality and combat diseases like HIV/AIDS.

1. MDGS HALF HOUR
HEALTH
Aired Thursday , October 24, 2013,- 13;30 ET
EKENE ODIGWE,HOST; Hello, good afternoon and welcome to MDGs half hour, the eight
millienuim development goals which ranges from halving extreme poverty rate to halting the
spread of HIV/AIDS and providing the universal primary education all by the target date of 2015
came together to form a blue print agreed by all world’s countries and world’s leading
development institutions, they have galvanized unprecidented efforts to meet the needs of the
world’s poorest, now Mdgs half hour aims at finding the meeting point of the mdgs Enugu state
in the four point agenda of the present administration. Todays edition of the talk show will focus
on infromation and educating you our dear listener on the collaborative efforts of MDGs, MDAs
and partners for building a better world. In the studio, ‘am joined by the special adviser to the
Enugu state Governor on Mdgs, Bar, Okezie I Nwanjoku, glad to have to have you here sir,
BARR. NWANJOKU; Thank you , Good afternoon, listeners
ODIGWE; Also in the studio is the state focal person of Mdgs Enugu State, Dr joseph Amah,
you ‘re welcome
DR. AMAH; Thank you listeners. You are welcome
ODIGWE; And because we will be discussing health on today’s edition, we are joined by the
permanent secretary Ministry of Health Representing the Commissioner of Health, Enugu State,
Dr Moses Otiji. Welcome on board sir
DR.OTIJI : Thank you, am honored to be here.
ODIGWE: My name is Ekene Odigwe,I will be your Moderator, to get this started, it will be nice
if you’d remember that Mdgs goals 4, 5, 6, all centers on health, so we will be discussing all of
the goals, Barr, please give us an over view of these three goals?
NWANJOKU : Thank you Mr moderator, goal 4 deals with reducing of child mortality, it is
clear that in most developing countries of the world there’s a high rate of child mortality, so the
world leaders thought it will nice to develop a platform to tackle it. Goal 5, improving martnal
health care, that most mothers die before they could bring life to the world, mostly in developing
countries . the advocacy “safety for mothers ,safety for the child”. Goal 6 deals with combating
HIV/AIDS , malaria and other dieseases, am sure by now you must have noticed that HIV/AIDS
had become a global issue and therfore has become a global corncern, it’s the thinking of world
leaders that efforts should be geared towards that direction to fight and see how the virus that
transmits this could be reduced to the barest minimum since there’s no known permenant
medical cure.thank you

2. ODIGWE: Thank you, over to you Dr Otiji, you are the Permanent secretary Ministry of health,
how has the min stry felt with the collavoative efforts of mdgs in reducing chilld mortality,
improving marternal health care delivery and combating HIV/ AIDS, malaria and other
dieseases?
OTIJI: Thank you Ekene, mdgs are developmental milestones. They are things we intend to
achieve, now what matters critically are the strategies to achieving these goals, first and
foremost, Enugu state Governement in 2008 created free maternal and child health care, this
progamme was aimed at creating unhindered access for pregnant mothers and children who are
under 5 years to access medicare because one of the greatest problems contributing to high
maternal and infant mortality ratio is the issue of lack of access and this was done by removing
the issue of user fees thats why the state government christened it,” free maternal and child
health care ” , the assumption was that once the user fees were removed they will be greater
access to health care and once there were greater access to health care ,mothers and children can
enjoy good health and that ultimately will reduce maternal and infant mortality rate
ODIGWE: Dr otiji , you talked about the accessibility but it seems to me that its all centered on
the urban areas, I will be back to find out how you ministry has penertrated rural communities ? ,
Dr Amah, you are the state focal person of Mdgs, you see to the collaborative efforts at the state
level and grassroots?
AMAH: Yes, i am
ODIGWE: Whats the participation of the people at the grassroots like?
AMAH: Thank you very much, in the first place when we are talking about millienium
development goals , you will find out that the target audience are most times people in the rural
areas. When we interven what we do is that we empower them by bringing into place primary
health facilities,we upgrade the exisiting ones and build new ones where necessary, we supply
drugs, empower them generally, we also encourage skilled health workers.
ODIGWE: if you are just joining us , you are listening to MDGs half hour,a thirty mintues radio
programme where we talk and inform you about the acievements, challenges and strategies thats
has been adopted by the agency to make sure that Mdgs Enugu state’s score card by 2015 is
high, its reaching you live from the studios of Radio Nigeria, the Africa’s Largest radio Network
coalcity 92.9 fm Enugu, the sparkling voice of the east. Today on the programme we are
focusing on health and Mdgs, Mr Permanent secretary sir, walk us through the accessiblity of
these health facilities by people in the rural communities?
OTIJI: Enugu state is one of the states that I can categorically say this , that by 2015 when the
millienuim development final report is written that will achieve the eight millinenuim goals ,
specifically goals 4,5, and 6 that centers on health, Enugu state governement by way of creating
access has built over 200 health centers including renovations in the rural areas, beacuse if you

3. look at division of the Enugu state health agenda,it is providing propoor services and you ask
your self where are these poor peoples, there are in the rural communities by all calucalations
about 70 percent of our populations are residing in the rural areas, that’s why today an
accessment done by National primary health care agency, certified Enugu state as one the state
that has saturated its communities with primary health care centers that’s to say there’s no ward
out of the 291 political wards that we have in Enugu state that you won’t find a funtional health
care center, that’s the state of accessibility of health facilities in Enugu state.
ODIGWE: For contributions,you can send mails to mdgenugu@gmail.com or send text message
to 08032950610, now to round off today’s programme Bar, Nwanjoku, what’s your last word?
NWANJOKU: It’s not just about providing, we all need to work togther to protect these
facilities, its ours togthere we can achieve more, thank you
ODIGWE: Thank you for being part of our broadcast today ,our thanks goes to the special
adviser to the Enugu state Governor, Bar, okezie Nwanjoku , state focal person of Mdgs Enugu
state, Dr. Joseph Amah and the commissioner for health, Enugu state represented by the
Permanent Secretary Enugu state, Dr. Moses otiji for coming to the programme, my name is
Ekene odigwe and my editor has been Oby Uchime, untill next week , bye bye
END