Nigerian Health Minister Osagie Ehanire has said the country must fully revitalize its Primary Health Care Centers (PHCs) to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Mr Ehanire, speaking at the opening ceremony of a two-day Primary Health Care summit in Abuja on Thursday, said the country must recommit to strengthening its PHC systems.
“The PHC message itself is not new, because it is backed by the Alma Ata Declaration and has been amplified in Nigeria since the ministerial term of Ransome Kuti: but despite all that, it has somehow not found the resonance required, when it comes to implementation,” he said.
He said that the summit is timely and insisted that the country must make more efforts to guarantee UHC for all.
“This is a call to renew the commitment to strengthen our primary health care system and to emphasize that this administration is dedicated to moving towards the achievement of UHC and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Nigeria,” he said.
He noted that the summit should not be another missed opportunity to address the problems crippling the country’s health sector.
PHC Summit
The summit, which is themed; ‘Reimagining PHC in Nigeria’ was organized by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).
The summit aims to galvanize stakeholders to collaboratively invest in and implement a PHC revitalization strategy for the country.
The summit is also aimed at launching a landmark program to transform Nigeria’s weak and under-resourced primary health care system, leveraging collaborations from the private sector, international agencies and the government.
Achieve universal health coverage
Mr. Ehanire said that in order to achieve universal health coverage, the country must overcome the obstacles that prevent it from paying due attention to PHCs and their optimal performance.
He said the foundation of any strong health system and UHC rests on a strong and resilient primary health care system.
He said health experts estimate that up to 70 percent of the nation’s disease burden can be treated at PHCs and vital education on disease prevention and health promotion, including immunization, can be provided.
“Strengthening PHC not only ensures better health for the population, but also reduces the workload at secondary and tertiary medical care levels and also the catastrophic out-of-pocket expense of health patients,” he said.
Mr. Ehanire said that Nigeria urgently needs to revitalize primary health care services by ensuring that they are available in designated communities, at least one functional primary health care per ward.
He noted that this must come with adequate human resources for health, including nurses, trained midwives and other personnel for basic medical care.
“They must be supported by efficient supply chain management that ensures the availability of essential medicines, medical devices, consumables and other basic products,” he said.
The minister explained that the newest design of PHC in the country contemplates the provision of accommodation for staff in each center, to allow the provision of services 24 hours a day.
“The plan also requires a mandatory source of potable piped water and a constant power supply with added solar, for an environment conducive to providing quality health services,” he said.
‘PHC is important’
Speaking at the summit, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director Matshidiso Moeti said that PHC is an integral part of any economic development.
Ms. Moeti commended the Nigerian government for its desire to reinvent primary health care in Nigeria.
He said that the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that health care is critical to all aspects of a country’s development.
In her remarks, US Ambassador to Nigeria Mary Leonard said the US government is pleased to have a close partnership with the government in the response to COVID-19.
Ms. Leonard noted that the US government had partnered with Nigeria to invest in people’s health and well-being.
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She said this ranges from providing antiretroviral treatment to more than 1.7 million people living with HIV to increasing immunizations, including for COVID-19, malaria and other disease outbreaks.
“The US government stands ready to support the revitalization of PHC in Nigeria. The diplomatic community is ready to support this move,” she said.