Bukola Afeni
The Executive Director/CEO of NPHCDA Muyi Aina has reteirated his commitment to strengthening and expanding the number of Primary Health Center(PHCs) in the country.
He added that there is a need to reduce the death of pregnant women during delivery.
The Executive Director made the disclosure at the Northern Traditional Leaders Committee on PHC Delivery Quarterly Review Meeting in Abuja.
He disclosed that the agency will provide access to quality basic services that people need to prevent death and sickness.
Aina declared his decision to work with the Coordinating Minister of Social Welfare, traditional leaders, religious leaders across the country to overcome health care service
He said, “My vision for every health care agency is rooted in inclusivity , partnership and innovation. I am committed to working closely with you, our traditional leaders , religious leaders, community leaders and gate keepers to achieve our goal of improving equity and quality of PHC services.”
” I want you to know that this collaborative journey is really about fostering a culture of health, resilience and community empowerment, and going back to provide high quality basic primary health care services for all”, he said.
“We want to expand infrastructure, commodities and tools to effectively save lives and reduce the deaths of mothers around childbirth, and reducing the death of new borns and children, to provide access to quality basic services.
He expressed commitment to strengthen Primary Health Care response to outbreaks.
“We will be strengthening the ability of our PHC to respond to outbreaks, many of which we have these days , whether it is more substantial outbreaks like the pandemic.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate also emphasized that through vaccines diseases can be cured most especially among children.
According to Pate, in Maiduguri all the children in Borno state that had diphtheria, 98 percent of them were unvaccinated, only 2 percent of all of them have had some vaccinations.
“Even though there have been improvements over two to three months in terms of the outbreak of diphtheria, this shows that on one hand , vaccines worked, because if children are vaccinated they wont get diseases.
“Before then there were all kinds of things but when you close your eyes and accurately look at the evidence ,and educate the population that vaccines are good.
“These diseases stopped as we see that HPV is in many countries where this vaccines is being deployed. Very good evidence shows that it is safe, and is effective in reducing the virus that contributes to cervical cancer in our country. We are very glad that the uptake in the first phase of the disease in the southern part of the county has been very successful.
“So we do hope that in the close room session when you discuss these matter, you will ask all the relevant questions and experts will provide you with the answers ,so that you are convinced”, he said.
The Minister also said the sector received direct facility finance from roughly about 8000 at the moment, which we work to make functional to start with, and expanding them to 17000 instead of 10000 to the the end of four years.
He said with all these facilities primary health care centers are gradually expanding it’s functionality because they are the avenues where population receive services.
“We revamp can provide infrastructure, Human Resources as well as the commodities and those will be done in collaborations with the states as we have signed in the combat with our development partners and importantly commendable with your collaboration.
“On Thurday this week we have key mile stone that we will decide on the next trench of basic health care, collaboration which will lead to disbursement of resources over 8000 primary health care centers for the first time at least we will match primary health care centers with the traditional leaders that are around so that the tradition Institution is aware and it’s able to monitor some of the funds some of the frontline lines are used for the purposes intended that will help improve accountability and insure that people benefits from the services and resources that are being channeled to the primary health care in our country.
“That is just the beginning and a lot more innovation will come in work with you over the period ahead, and together just as we dealt with polio and many others diseases, we will also do so to increase primary health care system in Nigeria”, Pate added
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