In a bid to enhance healthcare services in Nigeria, the federal government of Nigeria has initiated an assessment of the advancements made in revitalizing Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs) at both national and state levels.
The National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Dangote Foundation collaborated on this initiative, which aimed to conduct a peer evaluation of the infrastructure and resource allocation at all of the nation’s primary healthcare centers.
The objective of the project was to assess the facilities of the primary centers using an impartial panel of experienced professionals who would assign scores based on their effectiveness.
As per the federal government, around 4,000 of the intended 10,000 healthcare facilities have been refurbished to date.
The NPHCDA Executive Director, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, stated in an interview shortly after the inauguration of the 14-member panel of judges in Abuja over the weekend that their responsibility is to help identify the best-performing state governor in the country concerning primary healthcare center development.
Shuaib mentioned: “Today, we are inaugurating an autonomous panel of judges that will be evaluating primary healthcare facilities in Nigeria. What we aim to achieve here is partnering with the Bill and Linda Gates Foundation, Aliko Dangote Foundation, Nigeria Governors Forum, UNICEF, WHO, and numerous other collaborators to focus on primary healthcare.”
“Despite all the investments we’ve witnessed in the primary healthcare sector, particularly at the subnational level, we have not seen a corresponding enhancement in the rates of maternal and child mortality.”
Shuaib indicated that the panel is chaired by a professor from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Professor Clara Ejembi, alongside several distinguished Nigerians who are members.
He noted that while there have been some advancements in developing hospital infrastructure, these improvements have not resulted in any notable progress in healthcare delivery.
“What we are striving to do is to establish a peer review mechanism among the states to ensure that they follow specific indicators measured by an independent verification agent, aiming to foster competition among the states. This independent panel of judges will examine the assessment outcomes and announce which state has performed exceptionally well.”
The NPHCDA leader confirmed that every primary healthcare center in the nation will be included in the evaluation.
He clarified that previous experiences have indicated that leadership challenges among governors have spurred performance during campaigns aimed at enhancing child immunization and eradicating polio in the country.
“Thus, the successes we observe in the immunization initiative are what we are replicating in this primary healthcare initiative. What we are undertaking today is part of the efforts to rejuvenate primary healthcare.”
“We acknowledge a scenario where over 4,000 PHCs have been refurbished, but the president’s vision is not solely about renovating primary healthcare centers or constructing new ones. What he initiated in 2017 was a commendable idea aimed at making these primary healthcare centers operational and ensuring they have the appropriate human resources and medications to provide quality and affordable healthcare to Nigerians,” Shuaib remarked.
Ms. Cristian Munduate, Country Representative of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in Nigeria, expressed her excitement to be part of the historic partnership that drives state ownership and implementation of essential primary health care initiatives and policies, such as basic health care provision under one roof and the Seattle Declaration.
She stated: “This meeting establishes the foundation, and that is why the narrative of the independent judging panel will steer and directly review and validate state performances to ensure that this initiative remains transparent, credible, and pertinent. I would like to reaffirm UNICEF’s commitment to sustaining the momentum generated by the launch of the leadership challenge back in Lagos.”
“It’s crucial to remember that nearly all 36 state governors attended the launch in person to reaffirm their commitment to leading this initiative. UNICEF is prepared to collaborate with Nigeria and all partners to ensure that Nigeria has access to a comprehensive package of essential and quality health services without experiencing financial burdens.”
Ejembi, speaking on behalf of the other members of the evaluation panel, stated that the initiative is a well-considered endeavor that will undoubtedly enhance the country’s healthcare delivery system.
“For us, we believe it is a highly significant role we are about to play. We appreciate the trust placed in us and assure Nigerians that we will work diligently to transparently and politically validate and assess the performance of state governors in terms of their efforts to reposition the primary healthcare centers in their states.”
“This initiative will start to transform the landscape concerning our aspiration to achieve universal health coverage.”
