The Nation Newspaper

Tag: National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA)

  • Senate wades into NHIS, NPHCDA crisis

    The Senate on Wednesday resolved to investigate the raging crisis in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).

    The decision was following a motion by Senator Mao Ohuabunwa (PDP, Abia North) who observed that Nigerians whose health needs the scheme is meant to serve, have been at the receiving end of the prolonged crisis in the NHIS.

    Ohuabunwa’s motion dwelt on the need to enthrone good governance, probity, reduction of high-handedness of operators, elimination of corruption and improving over all efficiency in the scheme.

    He observed that many federal agencies have moved away from direct focus on serving citizens and advancing economic and social development.

    The senator stated that instead, the NHIS has been embroiled in entrenching impunity that borders on personality cults, which runs contrary to the objectives of the federal government.

    It was also observed that the crisis at the NHIS stemmed from allegations and counter allegations of high-handedness, fraudulent cost manipulation and illegal investments.

    Read Also: Senate probes social intervention fund, Sure-P

    The senators similarly observed cases of unprofessional manipulation of human resources that led to clashes between the management of the NHIS and the Governing Board of the agency.

    The motion also observed similar developments at the NPHCDA where the Executive Director has been accused of high-handedness, reckless spending and illegal purchase of unwanted vehicles.

    It also listed Intimidation and unwarranted transfer of senior staff members without regards to due process as some of the ills plaguing the agency.

    “Conscious of the fact that these unguarded executive and administrative processes pervading our public agencies, if not verified, checked and redirected for good.

    “The important roles of our public agencies in advancing the economic, social and general well being of our citizens will be seriously impaired, and our nascent democracy will gradually lose its steam to emerging impunity of government appointed self-serving titans now looming large”.

    Consequently, the Senate mandated its joint committees on Primary Health Care and Communicable Diseases and the Health Committee to wade into the crisis of confidence and the alleged corruption plaguing the two federal agencies.

    The joint committees were given two weeks within which to submit a report to the Senate.

  • Meningitis cases declining – NCDC

    The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says the number of new cases of suspected Cerebro Spinal Meningitis (CSM) is declining as outbreak control measures takes effect.

    The Communication Manager of NCDC, Dr Lawal Bakare, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Thursday.

    Bakare said that the cumulative number of suspected cases recorded in Nigeria throughout the outbreak period was now 9, 646 and 839 deaths from 43 local government areas in 23 states.

    “A total of 628 new cases were reported in week 16 against 1,935 in week 15 and 2,127 in week 14.

    “While the total number of suspected cases will rise with each new case, the number of new cases recorded per week is dropping in the affected states indicating that the outbreak is likely to have peaked.

    “We expect a continued decline in the number of new cases with the intensification of control measures in the affected states,’’ Bakare said.

    He said that the national response has identified the need to provide technical support to all affected states in the areas of case management, epidemiology and risk communication.

    The manager added that support teams were currently being deployed to the most severely affected states of Zamfara and Sokoto to further strengthen and support the states in their response.

    Bakare further said that a large reactive vaccination campaign, which would cover over 800,000 persons aged between two and 29 years would commence in Sokoto on April 27.

    He explained that a national support team, led by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), would be providing support to Sokoto state in order to ensure that vaccination activities were well coordinated.

    “Partners from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and others are all collaborating with NPHCDA and NCDC to provide the best possible support to Sokoto during the vaccination.

    “Teams have been mobilised to all the LGAs in Sokoto State, and people are being mobilised to turn out en mass to be vaccinated,’’ he said.

    According to Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, the Chief Executive Officer of NCDC, the lessons from this outbreak would inform our future response activities.

    “This includes the need to strengthen awareness, improve clinical skills of health workers, strengthen laboratory capacities to confirm diagnosis of meningitis promptly,” he said.

     

  • Imo Govt, urged to step-up primary health care -IVAC

    Imo Govt, urged to step-up primary health care -IVAC

    The Imo Government has been urged to step-up in the level of primary healthcare service. This call was made by the Country Director of John Hopkins International Vaccine Access Centre (IVAC), Dr Chizoba Wonodi, on Thursday at a two-day orientation workshop.

    The two-day orientation workshop was based on the new Primary Health Care Under One Roof (PHCUOR) reform of the Federal Government, organised by IVAC in conjunction with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) in Owerri.

    Deliberations during the workshop centered on poor state of primary healthcare in Imo and the new national primary health care under one roof reform which seek to strengthen Primary Health Care (PHC) in the country.

    The country director said Imo could only access funds from IVAC if the state adhered strictly to the rules of PHCUOR.

    She said “we have decided to reform health care and bring it under one roof to enable us to monitor the programme effectively.

    “We will assist Imo Government to access funds for the development of its primary health but all the rules guiding the programme must be adhered to.”

    According to her, the Imo Government has taken the first step by establishing the State Primary Health Care Development Agency SPHCDA, which will help in driving the programme.

    She then urged Gov. Rochas Okorocha to ensure that adequate facilities and manpower were on ground for the takeoff of the programme.

    She said IVAC was committed in making sure that every Nigerian child was vaccinated and reassured the commitment of the donor agency in assisting Nigeria to overcome problem of primary health care.

    She lamented that previous primary health care programmes in the country were marred by the lack of proper supervision and commitment, which she said gave rise for the new reform.

    The Commissioner for Health in Imo, Mr Ngozi Njoku, said Gov. Okorocha had taken serious steps in addressing the problem of health care in the state.

    He said “the Imo Government is committed to developing primary health care in the state.

    “We have both structures and manpower to drive the PHCUOR; we assure you that
    government will cue into the programme to further strengthen health development in the state.”

    The Executive Secretary of Imo State Primary Health Care, Dr Emmanuel Emukah,
    said the programme would guarantee quality health care delivery in rural areas.

    “We have acquired facilities for our takeoff and we will make sure that stakeholders in the health industry are properly oriented on the activities of the programme”, he said.

    He also commended Gov. Okorocha for establishing the state primary health care agency, adding that the agency and the state’s Ministry of Health would work in harmony to achieve the common goal.

  • FG deploys 1000 new midwives to PHCs nationwide

    FG deploys 1000 new midwives to PHCs nationwide

    The Federal Government, through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) is deploying 1,473 newly graduated basic midwives to Primary Health Care facilities in rural areas throughout the 36 States and FCT.
    The deployment is aimed at improving maternal, newborn and child health outcomes and consolidating on the gains of the Midwives Service Scheme (MSS) of the Federal Government.
    The deployment was announced through a press statement signed by Saadu Salahu Head, Public Relations Unit.
    According to the statement, the Acting Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Emmanuel Odu said the agency and the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria are in partnership to place newly graduated Basic Midwives on a one-year mandatory service at Primary Health Care centres across the country.
    Dr Odu also disclosed that the Federal Government will collaborate with both States and Local Governments to sustain the programme.
    He said that with 61% of pregnant women receiving ante-natal care by a skilled provider in the country, only 38% of births were attended to by skilled birth attendants while only 36% deliver in health facilities. He enjoined the midwives, as skilled birth attendants to rededicate themselves and contribute to bridging the gap.
    Dr Odu appealed to the Midwives to see themselves as agents of change, stressing that a combination of their professional skills,positive attitude, and care would stimulate health-seeking behaviour and service utilization, thereby contribute to saving the lives of pregnant women, Newborn and children in communities.
    In her welcome remarks, the Director, Primary Health Care Systems Development in the Agency, Dr Nnenna Ihebuzor described the Midwives Service Scheme (MSS) as one of the flagship programmes of the Federal Government to reduce the high rate of maternal and child morbidity and mortality in Nigeria. She emphasized the triple return on investment from skilled attendants at birth – saving lives of mothers and newborns and reducing stillbirths.
    She disclosed that the orientation and subsequent training would equip the midwives with the knowledge and professional skills to save lives of mothers and children at rural primary health facilities across the country.
    Also speaking the Director, Nursing Services, Federal Ministry of Health, Mrs MojisolaOkodugha, said engagement of basic midwives by the National Primary Health Care Development was a demonstration of the Agency’s commitment to the change agenda of the present administration.
    The Registrar, Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Alhaji Faruk Abubakar, in his message expressed Council’s readiness to collaborate with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency to ensure that skilled health personnel were deployed to rural health facilities in the Country.
    In his message, UNICEF Representative, Dr. Garba Safiyanu commended the Agency’s significant efforts in MSS project and reiterated UNICEF’s commitment to reduction of maternal and child morbidity in the Country.
    He advocated quality health care in the country and pledged UNICEF’s continued support to Nigerian government.
    The Midwives Service Scheme is funded through one billion Naira budget in the 2016 Federal Government Appropriation for maternal and child health interventions by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency.
    It would be recalled that MSS Programme which was introduced in 2009 was the Federal Government public health intervention to reduce maternal and child morbidity and mortality in Nigeria.

  • Nigeria needs $274m for polio campaign – NPHCDA boss

    Nigeria needs $274 million for polio campaign this year, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), said yesterday.

    Its Executive Director Dr. Ado Mohammed who said this in Abuja on Tuesday at a pre-event press conference for Anglophone Africa peer review workshop on sustainable immunization, added that the country also need between $270 million to $440 million to buy new vaccines annually,

    Mohammed said with the introduction of new vaccines in the agency’s immunization schedule, the cost of fully immunizing a child in Nigeria would rise from N4000 to about N14, 000.

    He said: “By the time we fully introduce new vaccines in our immunization schedule, we will be moving the cost of fully immunizing a child in Nigeria from N4000 to about N14, 000. We will also be moving the cost of vaccine requirement from about $270 million dollars annually to about $440 million dollars by 2020.

    “By then, Nigeria will no longer be Garvin eligible so the subsidy we receive in terms of co financing are from Garvin and other donors will not be there. So it means that the domestic funding to immunization has to improve. We have to find how to fund the vaccines required for our children.

    He explained that Nigeria was not yet a polio free country, adding that the country needs to go two years before it is certified polio free.

    Mohammed called on the Federal Government to mount active surveillance while being vigilant to avoid any case of polio in Nigeria.

    “Nigeria as a country has made so much progress in immunization and Nigeria as a country is being commended globally for the major progress we have made on immunization, particularly on polio virus. It is over 20 months now without virus in Nigeria.

    “We have made so much progress on routine immunization. We have seen routine immunization grow very high, the highest in the last 20 years. The country has not reported any stock out of vaccines in any facilities in the last 24 months and we need to sustain those achievements.

    “We are also introducing new vaccines beyond the traditional vaccines. We have brought in pentavilent vaccines which is five in one shot. We have also brought vaccines to address the huge high burden we have of pneumonia and that will avert about 240 deaths annually,” he added.