The World Health Organization (WHO), says the planned Primary Healthcare ((PHC) Summit in Abuja, will be an avenue to re-new calls on leaders, advocates and stakeholders in the health sector to improve the sector as contained in the Astana, Kazakhstan, convention.
WHO Country Representative in Nigeria, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo, said this to newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja, disclosing that the two-day meeting would hold between March 24 and 25.
According to Mulombo, the theme of the programme: “Reimagining: Evolving a resilient platform for achieving the country’s national and global health goals via a ‘peri-Covid era’, is solution-focused and dedicated to delivering improved PHC services across the country.
Reimagining PHC” is led by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), with the support of partners.
NPHCDA will be hosting the private sector, government leaders, and international partners at the summit, designed to launch a bold new programme to transform PHC in Nigeria.
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.
The Summit will bring together national elected leaders, top government officials, and leading private sector executives to present ambitious and attainable plans that will lead to tangible and large-scale changes to Nigeria’s PHC system by the year 2030.
Mulombo said that in 2018, Heads of State and Government, Ministers and representatives of States and Governments, came together at the Global Conference on PHC in Astana, to reinvigorate universal health coverage (UHC) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to recommit to the 40-year-old vision of the Alma Ata declaration on PHCs.
“Universal Health Coverage is a critical component of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 3: It ensures healthy lives and promotes well-being for all at all ages” which emphasises the need for health to be accessible, equitable, safe, effective, quality and affordable without the risk of financial hardship.
“Therefore progress towards universal health coverage (UHC) will involve building and extending equitable, resilient and sustainable health systems that are based on primary healthcare.
“The achievement will require political will, deliberate and intentional effort for resource mobilisation, especially domestic resources, and local ownership for sustainability,” he said.
He noted that the theme of the summit is apt, especially coming at a time when the health delivery system had experienced a severe setback due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mulombo noted that the situation had necessitated a need for more radical approach to re-structure and re-focus the health system, with considerations to support the PHC level, which was the cornerstone of the health system.
Reimagining PHC of the country is an ambitious, transformative project to improve and expand primary healthcare (PHC) in Nigeria by the year 2030.
The project, among others, plans to utilise innovative financing mechanisms to boost financing sources in order to increase the number and quality of healthcare workers; upgrade the infrastructure of facilities; and ensure availability of equipment, essential medicines, and commodities.
It also strives to have modernised information, data management and tech systems; and leverage medical technologies as alternative methods for service delivery.
The project will prioritise community participation and is committed to transparent, accountable, results-driven implementation.
“Reimagining PHC” is led by the National Primary Health Care Development agency, with the support of partners.
