By Ibeneme Ebelechukwu, Abuja
Unless primary health care (PHC) facilities are structured properly to deliver services that will support the attainment of UHC and guarantees health security, Nigeria will continue to remain a major contributor to the global burden of maternal and newborn deaths despite being about 3% of the world population.
Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Health, Dr.Salma Anas Kolo stated this yesterday at the 7th annual conference of the Association of Nigeria Health Journalists (ANHEJ) held on 7th-10th December at Nasarawa state with the theme “ Health security: Nigeria’s effort to achieve universal health coverage” .
According to her, the challenges to reducing maternal and child deaths remain the problem of poorly functional PHC system with issues of low healthcare coverage for life-saving interventions; ill-equipped and weak service delivery systems; low coverage with community and household-level interventions; gaps in the RMNCAH+N continuum of care; shortage of essential RMNCAH+N supplies; skilled healthcare worker shortages and overall inadequate financing for RMNCAH+N and other health care service.
She noted that PHC should be the entry point into the health care service delivery system where 80% of the health issues should be sorted out and essential with basic care needs provided towards the attainment of UHC in a holistic, comprehensive and sustainable manner that would impact on the productive potential of the people for desirous national growth and development of the country.
“As a gateway to accessing health services, it should be designed to fit the purpose for proper functioning and operations to be prepared for the needs of the community where it is located. It should a hub of positive interaction that give hope and relieves anxieties and distress to whoever is there whether as care giver or client/patient. It should be community owned and led for optimal utilization and sustainability of the PHC system along the aspirations and potentials of the people and their developmental growth needs. The PHC should be linked to a secondary care facility for ease of referrals of cases requiring more expert attention”
“In Nigeria however, the PHC level of care has received the least attention and continues to add to the burden of morbidity and mortality especially due to pregnancy related conditions making it the weakest link of the health service delivery system. It is responsible for about 30% of the world’s gap in achieving the global target of eradicating mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV, an integrated service delivery approach that ensures a comprehensive care approach which is holistic care package including having even MTCT imbedded within the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent and the Elderly Health plus Nutrition (RMNCAEH+N) intervention is a sure way to making significant progress in reducing avoidable diseases and needless deaths in Nigeria.
She however pledged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led administration resolve to wholly aligned with the UHC 2030 Action Agenda which aims to leave a legacy of a PHC system that is more resilient than ever, committed to address existing challenges of inadequate and inequitable distribution, inadequate infrastructure, obsolete and inadequate equipment, inadequate and poorly skilled human resources among others; a strong PHC system recognized as not only necessary for delivery of UHC, but also for optimal disease surveillance and epidemic response.
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