By VICTORIA OJEME
ABUJA—TO ensure the sustenance of quality health care delivery and achieve the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, by 2015, the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, has advocated the need for collaboration of all sectors.

He said this at the West African Health Organisation, WAHO, Day celebration, Monday, in Abuja.

The minister said, “If Nigeria must achieve health-related goals, there is need for strong collaboration between the health sector and other development sectors, such as information and communication, environment, education, public works and planning and the private sector.”

He was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Linus Awute.

Prof Chukwu, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Linus Awute, explained that the useful and effective means of achieving the MDGs in Nigeria by 2015 were faced by myriads of challenges.

He listed the challenges to include lack of effective mechanisms for integrated multi-sectoral actions at all tiers of government on health, lack of monitoring and evaluation of actions aimed at achieving the MDGs.

“It is for this reason that WAHO has deemed it fit to address this theme at this critical time so that Nigeria could achieve the MDGs target by year 2015,” he said.