The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the territory, outlining plans to improve maternal health outcomes and expand services for women through increased investment.
The Mandate Secretary for Health and Human Services, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, restated the administration’s commitment on Tuesday at a symposium in Abuja. She stressed that aligning research, policy and practice was essential for improving maternal care and enhancing PHC capacity.
Fasawe said the administration would intensify training, strengthen supervision and expand digital support for frontline workers to improve maternal outcomes and ensure PHCs deliver timely and effective care.
She noted that Nigeria continued to face a significant maternal mortality burden, with many deaths occurring in PHC facilities where limited skilled staff and long waiting times often prevent women from receiving prompt care.
She added that PHCs remained overstretched despite serving as the first point of contact for pregnant women, stressing that task shifting was critical to expanding access to maternal health services.
Fasawe, however, cautioned that although Nigeria’s task-shifting policy had existed for years, implementation remained weak due to unclear role boundaries, contested mandates, inadequate training, poor supervision and staff shortages within PHCs.
Presenting his findings at the event, health researcher Dr. Francis Ayomoh warned that the PHC workforce in the FCT remained fragile, with many workers serving as unpaid volunteers. He emphasized the need for improved staffing and greater institutional support.
Ayomoh described task shifting as a necessary but challenging policy, saying it must be strengthened to maintain service quality. He urged government investment in human resources, supervision and the employment of lower-cadre health workers.
He called on health stakeholders to prioritize patient welfare, stressing that improved working conditions, adequate training and effective supervision were vital for delivering quality maternal healthcare across PHCs in the FCT.
The study cited at the symposium, conducted across Abuja Municipal Area Council, Bwari and Kuje, provided insights into the realities of the PHC system from the perspectives of frontline workers.
