The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) emphasizes the vital role of Primary Health Care (PHC) in detecting and preventing diseases at an early stage, serving as the foundation of the healthcare system.
Dr. Eduardo Celades, UNICEF Nigeria’s Chief of Health, made this assertion on Wednesday in Dutse, Jigawa State, during a two-day media dialogue and field trip focused on strengthening PHC systems.
The event highlighted the significance of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2022 among the Jigawa State Government, Federal Government, Nigeria Governors Forum, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and UNICEF.
This collaborative agreement aims to enhance routine immunization, PHC systems, and reduce mortality rates, particularly among women and children, in Jigawa State.
Celades said, “Primary health care is important. So for us, primary health care is the cornerstone of the health sector. 90 per cent of the diseases can be treated in primary health care. But the important thing is not what can be the treatment of the diseases, but as well the prevention.
“So, primary health care is the platform to deliver preventive services. For example, vaccination or immunisation. We know that in the last 50 years, immunisation has saved more than 154 million lives. So PHC is the right place, the right platform to deliver those services.
“The challenge is that PHC is still weak in Nigeria, and what it means when I say weak is that we don’t have enough health workers, sometimes we have poor data, we have insufficient funding, and we have a weak supply chain.
“So this is what, as UNICEF, we are trying to do, to strengthen PHC, especially in the areas that they need it more, so to leave no one behind.”
Dr. Shehu Sambo, Director of Primary Health Care in Jigawa State, stated that the state is leveraging the resources provided by the Gavi Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to transform the Primary Health Care (PHC) landscape, aiming to achieve significant and positive impacts on the healthcare system in the state.
“We are revitalising PHCs, the state is putting enormous amount of funding into PHC revitalisation. We have, as we speak, active 281 apex PHCs, and each of these PHCs will have befitting midwife quarters.
“You have seen the type of building that we are doing. A lot of the bed, the kitchen utensils, and mattresses, even some of them are in our stores, waiting for the buildings to be completed so that we put them,” he added.
Dr. Shehu Sambo reaffirmed the state’s dedication to enhancing Primary Health Care centers (PHCs) across Jigawa State, with the goal of delivering essential health services and promoting overall well-being directly to local communities, thereby increasing accessibility and convenience.
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