Nigeria To Host PHC Transformation Summit In Abuja

The Nigerian government through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), is set to host the Primary Health Care Summit.

The summit is aimed at launching a bold new programme to transform primary health care in the country.

The Nigerian Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, who plans for the summit In Abuja, said that the Primary Health Care Summit is scheduled to take place on 24th and 25th March 2022 in Abuja.

He noted that “Primary health care is the foundation of the entire health system, its strength is crucial to the functioning of all other levels. In order to meaningfully improve the quality and accessibility of health care in Nigeria as a whole, we must urgently and comprehensively reform our Primary care system.”

The Minister said that only approximately 43 percent of Nigerians have access to quality primary healthcare services with only about four doctors available per 10,000 people, a fraction of the minimum rate recommended by the United Nation(UN), for basic health coverage.

He noted that it was widely recognized that 70 percent of disease burden can be prevented and managed at the PHC level.

On his part, the Executive Director, NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib said that the the launch is a call to join in the ambitious action to transform health in Nigeria for us and our future generations.

He noted that the programme was driven by the conviction that all Nigerians have the right to quality, accessible health care, and that current challenges can be solved through strategic, transparent consolidation of available funding and a mobilization among partners to collaborate on this urgent priority.

The World Health Organization(WHO), says the upcoming Primary Health Care (PHC), Summit in Nigeria, would serve as a clarion call to leaders, advocates, partners and stakeholders in the Nigerian health sector to re-echo and operationalize the commitment made at Astana.

Similarly, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF),says investing in Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs), is a cornerstone for preventing maternal and child mortality in Nigeria, where 200 women die from preventable diseases.

UNICEF Nigeria Chief of Health, Dr. Eduardo Celades Blanco disclosed that UNICEF was implementing the PHC Leadership Challenge Fund, that would initiate PHC improvements in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, through catalytic funds for states that show marked improvement in PHC.