Tag: PHC

  • FG to transform health system as NPHCDA hosts  PHC Summit

    FG to transform health system as NPHCDA hosts PHC Summit

    By Joyce Remi-Babayeju

    In a bid to transform Nigeria’s Primary Health Care, PHC, system, Executive Director of the National Health Care Development Agency , NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib has said that agency in collaboration the Ministry of Health is set to host the PHC Summit on 24th and 25yh of March , 2022 in Abuja.

    In a release made available to health correspondents , the agency said that the launch of the programme is aimed at transforming the PHC in Nigeria for a strengthened quality health care system in the country.

    Shuaib in a statement said, “The Summit is geared towards launching a historic programme to transform the under-resourced, weak primary health care system in Nigeria by leveraging private sector, international agencies and government collaboration.”
    According to him, the Summit themed: ‘ Reimagining PHC” will converge national elected leaders, top government officials, and leading private sector executives to brainstorm on attainable plans that will on a large scale move Nigeria’s primary health care (PHC) system by the year 2030, adding that the programme is solutions-focused and dedicated to delivering improved PHC services across the country.

    “Thus, the Summit will kick-start fund mobilization to realize the programme’s goals – it will be an inclusive project, leveraging the know-how and resources of the private sector, government, and global development agencies.”

    Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire who noted that “Primary health care is the foundation of the entire health system, its strength is crucial to the functioning of all other levels.” said that the nation’s health care needs urgent and comprehensive reform.

  • Every PHC closer to the  people would reduce catastrophic out-of-pocket medical spending – Minister

    Every PHC closer to the people would reduce catastrophic out-of-pocket medical spending – Minister

    By Joyce Remi-Babayeju

    The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire has said that for every Primary Health Care, PHC, closer to the people in communities would reduce catastrophic out -of -pocket medical expenditure and improve the overall health of citizens.

    Ehanire said this at the International Press conference ahead of the National Primary Health Care Summit held in Abuja recently.

    The Minister explained that on resumption in office as the Health Care system lead in the country, he moved to revitalize the PHC system.
    He said, ” The target of at least one functional primary health care centre per political ward was set as a policy to take basic health care closer to the people, reduce catastrophic out-of-pocket spending to ensure resources are freed up for other goods and services, thereby improving overall health and standards of living.”
    He noted that the revitalization of the PHC system in the country would reduce pressure on secondary and tertiary levels of medical care to make room for focus on health challenges and research.
    Ehanire stressed that the ministry has evolved a 10-year strategy to re- imagining PHC with a 4-point agenda for PHC revitalization.
    The 4-point agenda include; access and service delivery of PHC revitalization; health promotion and demand stimulation; programme delivery; and ensuring the right enablers and capabilities are in place to support the delivery, he explained.
    In the same way , the Minister disclosed that the nation’s PHC system is further burdened by high disease burden and frequent outbreaks of diseases responsible for avoidable high maternal and child mortality, debility, absenteeism from work and much suffering.
    The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency,NPHCDA, Dr.Faisal Shuaib said that the Summit which is coming up on the 25th of March, 2022 is partly a clarion call to leaders, advocates, partners and stakeholders in the Nigerian health sector to re- echo and operationalize the commitment made at Astana.

    Through Re- imagining PHC, we will build on our national experience fighting COVID-19- Ebola, Polio, and many other health challenges to implement long- overdue changes that will transform the way health care is delivered in Nigeria, Shuaib said.

    “We will restore health centers; ensure provision of general, laboratory, clinic and personnel equipment; ensure the availability of quality drugs; procure ambulances for accessibility and we will train and employ quality nurses, midwives, clinical staff and non-clinical staff at health centers across Nigeria.”
    The ED lamented that problems linked to lack of primary health care cause are staggering – they dwarf the impact of COVID-19 on Nigeria’s population.
    According to him, 128 of every 1,000 children under 5 in Nigeria die and 20% of global maternal deaths happen in Nigeria.
    ” It’s heart breaking, and we must treat it as the emergency it is.
    Fewer than half of Nigerians have access to quality primary health care services.
    Even those that do are offered fragmented and often ineffective services.”
    The World Health Organization, WHO, with development partners further urged the Federal Government to adopt a radical approach to restructure Nigeria’s healthcare system via it’s Primary Health Care system.
    The agency said that the 2022 National PHC Summit with the theme: “PHC re- imaging, evolving a resident platform for achieving our national and global health goals in a peri- COVID era” is coming at a time when our health delivery system has experienced a severe setbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • FCTA to pay attention to PHCs, Traditional rulers’ welfare

    FCTA to pay attention to PHCs, Traditional rulers’ welfare

    By Joyce Remi-Babayeju

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) said it would pay special attention to Primary Health Centres development and welfare of traditional rulers across the territory.

    The Mandate Secretary FCT Area Council Services Secretariat, Acts, Abubakar Dantsoho disclosed this today at an interaction with staff of the Secretariat to mark his 100 days in office.

    He reiterated the secretariat’s commitment to the health of the rural dwellers, adding that focusing on PHCs and traditional rulers would help in giving life to the rural people.

    Dantsoho said that traditional rulers are key stakeholders in FCT and must be given serious attention.

    He also promised that all the ongoing projects in the Area Councils would be given priority and completed while new ones will be initiated.

    “There are projects ongoing, there ones that are yet to be awarded I am doing my best to see that the projects are awarded so that it will better the life of the people.”

    I am going to see that our royal fathers get the best in their respective areas especially in areas of infrastructure, our rural roads will be given attention, ongoing projects will be completed with new ones will be awarded Dantsoho assured.

  • Rep Akande-Sadipe Donates Medical supplies and equipment to PHCs

    Rep Akande-Sadipe Donates Medical supplies and equipment to PHCs

    The House of Representatives member, Hon. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, in partnership with Amoke Foundation, donated medical equipment worth millions of naira to four (4) Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs) in Oluyole Federal Constituency.

    The PHCs include Odo-ona Primary Healthcare Center, Idi-ayunre Primary Healthcare center, Adaramagbo Primary Healthcare center and Ayetoro Primary Healthcare center, all within her federal constituency.

    The Oluyole Federal constituency Rep said the equipment was received by the Matrons-in-charge of the PHCs, for the use of the public on Monday, December 20, 2021 in Ibadan.

    According to Akande-Sadipe the multi-million naira medical supplies will cater for the wellbeing of the good people of Oluyole Federal Constituency.

    Vowing that she will not relent in her efforts to meet the basic needs of residents in her constituency, Akande-Sadipe also implored the facilities to use the supplies at no cost to the underprivileged.

    She said, “Oluyole Federal constituency is quite a populated area. So, in our wisdom, we selected four PHCs where we believe members of the communities can easily access”.

    “I know the needs of my people and I am trying as much as possible to address as many as possible through my WWREEEP campaign promises. The supplies and equipment were facilitated through Amoke Foundations for the TASK Affordable Health Care Initiative”, she said.

    “As part of my efforts to enhance the health access of my constituents, some time ago as you all are aware I provided training and birthing supplies and equipment to enhance the skills of our traditional birth attendants in the Local government”, she continued.

    Thanking Mr. Jide Adetunji the representative of Amoke Foundation for finding the constituency worthy of the donation, Akande-Sadipe urged the medical personnel to put the equipment to good use, adding that her office is committed to collaborating with relevant Tiers of Government and its Agencies to deliver to her constituency.

    In addition, she emphasized that it is her desire to train more members of her constituency in the area of community health care.

  • Residents decry poor state of PHCs in A’Ibom

    Residents decry poor state of PHCs in A’Ibom

    Residents of Akwa Ibom have decried the poor state of facilities in most Primary Health Centres located across the 31 local councils of the state.

    Though the state government has made tremendous efforts to revamp the Secondary Healthcare sector in the last six years of Governor Udom Emmanuel’s administration, operations at the primary health centres have largely been on the decline.

    In addition to total absence or inadequate facilities, most of them are starved of personnel while residents have lost confidence in them resulting in very low patronage for most of them especially those in the rural areas.

    A visit to some of these centres especially those in the rural areas by newsmen showed a state of disrepair as reptiles have taken over a good number of such centres, while some of its roofs are either leaking or completely pulled down.

    Apart from the few active PHCs in Uyo, the state capital, most primary health centres in rural communities have been abandoned to the cleaners who merely sit to refer pregnant women to Traditional Birth Attendants.

    At the Primary Health Centre Ikot Akata, Mkpat Enin, roof of the quarters for medical workers had long been removed by the wind, while the main centre has lost all its doors, windows and the main hall leaking heavily, there was no presence of any health worker as at time of visit..

    At Ikot Iko, Ibesikpo Asutan Local Councils, the only government primary healthcare centre in the community was in ruins. Unfortunately, health care services in this community is relatively at a very low quality and inaccessible to majority of the people.

    The Health centre along Wellington Bassey Way in Uyo appeared to be the most pateonized in the state as it has continued to witness influx of patients daily but the center is however under serious threat as it is bordered by a fast encroaching ravine while the unhealthy environment attracts legions of mosquitoes.

    A visit to Primary Health Centre off Uruan street, also in Uyo showed that the centre is in dire need of help as it lacked the capacity to provide essential health-care services, in addition to issues such of poor distribution of health workers and essential drugs.

    A senior health care worker at the centre who craved anonymity told our correspondent that patients stopped coming to the centre because of poor quality of health-care services, poor condition of infrastructure, and lack of essential drugs.

    The state of the only Primary health Centre at Mbiabong community in Itu local government area of Akwa Ibom state is deplorable as newsmwn who visited the place reports that the Centre has not been renovated nor equipped with drugs for a long time amidst low patronage of patients

    A staff who spoke on condition of anonymity described the place as a ‘glorified Centre’ with little or nothing to show for It as a medical Centre.

    “There is nothing much taking place. The drugs are always in short supply and that is the situation we have found ourselves for a long time now. So, we prescribe for patients and ask them most at times to purchase from pharmacies outside. And talking in terms of renovation, you can see for yourself” the source said.

    The story was however different when our correspondent visited some PHCs in Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, while some were overgrown with weeds, a few others however had active presence of health workers.

    One of the Health Centres in Ikot Ekpene admitted to have benefited from donor agencies and NGOs including Maria Stopes, Helen Kela, and Bill/Milanda Gate,

    At the primary health centre at Ifa Ikot Okpon, Etoi in Uyo local government area of the state which has a Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA) home located opposite it, our correspondent observed heavy patronage of the TBA by pregnant women instead of the PHC.

    When inquired about why the TBA was prefered against the PHC, one of the young women and mother of five children replied, “I am Mrs. Glory Peter. I have five children and four of them were delivered here. I love being here anytime because Mma is very nice and experienced in maternity services.

    “If you ask all of us here, you will be surprised to hear everyone speaks good about this Mma. She is caring and pays serious attention to all of us during and after labour once you are here. Her fee is quiet affordable though varies according to personality of persons involved.

    Our correspondent who later visited the PHC met a Nurse and few others on auxiliary services and administration, who complained that the facility’s electricity supply was disconnected due to non-payment of bills

  • Kaduna Community begs El-Rufai to open 3 years abandoned PHC

    Kaduna Community begs El-Rufai to open 3 years abandoned PHC

    .. Say’s it’ll reduce maternal, infants mortality 


    By Gabriel Udeh, Kaduna

    The Unguwar-Jatau community in Kaduna state has appealed to governor Nasir El-rufai to open the Primary Health Care center (PHC) build three years ago but was abandoned, to reduce maternal and infant mortality in the area.

    The community, located just behind National teachers Institutes (NTI), around  Rigachikum, in Igabi local Government Kaduna state, has a population of about 3000 habitants which are  predominantly Gwagyi by tribe.


    Most of the residents, we reliably learnt are peasant farmers and rearers of animals, while women are into sales of firewood and charcoal business as their main source of livelihood.


    In an interview with journalists,  a traditional title holders in the Community Mr Musa kasuwa (sarkin Fada),  said the hospital was constructed 3 years ago, equipped with all the necessary facilities to enabled it start smooth operation, but was abandoned.


    “Every facilities that are inside the hospital remain intact, but lack of opening the hospital is becoming worrisome ,as most of the villagers have to travel very far-away in terms of accessing  medical diagnosis and other medical check-up.


    “The PHC is one of the biggest with many rooms and the building is of great standard which has been there for many years, abandoned for no reasons”

    He said, the community don’t know the reason why the Government abandoned such a beautiful hospital which was constructed with huge amount of money with the aims of helping all the villages to reduce the number of women and children that die due to bad road, and distance.


    He note that traditional birth attendance in the community have been helping most of the rural women when delivering babies during raining season in the night.


    Sarkin fada said, there are plenty sick people in the communities and if the government can open the hospital, the rate at which people die would reduce tremendously. We don’t know why the hospital remain closed for over 3 years now while there are hundreds of sick people here and from our neighboring communities that need  the services of the PHC”, he said, during raining season, some of the poor that are living in the area use wheel barrow ,Bicycles ,motorbike  or animals to take pregnant women and other sick once  to hospital due to bad road.

    “We are begging Kaduna state government to come and open this hospital for us ” “Opening this hospital would reduce the problems our women, elderly ones and children  encounter”


    We are appealing to Kaduna state government to come to our rescue and open this hospital so that all the neighboring communities would also benefit from the PHC and solve the problems of travelling long distance trying to access medical
    “Opening the hospital would reduce numbers of death in the communities and would surely help people overcomes  the challenges of going long distance for accessing medical facilities”
    “The hospital building is getting destroyed day-by-day and that is not Good, because huge amount of money was used to construct such a beautiful facilities”, he said adding also that “The bridge that connect them to major town and cities of the state  have collapsed.

    He said, “each and every family were forced to contribute N3000. Another resident in the community John Musa said, “There are merely 8 communities that would surely benefit from the hospital which include Unguwan Zabi, Tokare,Unguwar sarki,unguwar Fulani, Kukumake, Rafin Guza, Malalin-gabas, Ruhugi, Gwauro including residents of Rigachikum”, he added.

    He said many women and children that are living at these areas are finding it difficult when it comes to issues related to going to hospital.

    Mr. John called on primary health care agency to visit the community and open the hospital for medical services rather than just building such an expensive PHC and  allowing it to rot.