By Daniel Tyokua
The Federal Capital Territory Administration ,FCTA, with United States Agency for International Development, USAID, have agreed to strengthen Primary Healthcare sector in the territory.
Inaugurating the steering committee, Minister of State for FCT Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu said the idea would assist healthcare systems to deliver quality, affordable and sustainable preventive healthcare services to the residents.
She said that the committee was a follow up to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between USAID) FCTA on December 17, 2020, to support the revitalization of FCT healthcare systems.
Aliyu noted that the MoU seeks to address weak healthcare system especially the Primary Health Care (PHC) performances and the root causes of poorly functioning health systems in the Federal Capital Territory.
She stressed that through this partnership, the FCT Administration would improve the capacity of the FCTA to plan, allocate and manage resources as demonstrated by increased budgetary allocation for PHC, and increased expenditure for Primary Health Care.
Other milestones that could be achieved through this partnership include increase the coverage of FCT’s minimum benefit package for PHC to 20 percent of the residents of the FCT in 2020, 30 percent in 2021, 40 percent in 2022, 50 percent in 2023, 60 percent in 2024.
To drive the operationalization of the signed MoU, the minister charged the committee to serve as an avenue to promote transparency, the use of data for decision-making and problem solving, adding that the committee would engage other stakeholders such as members of the Senate and House of Representatives as required. On her part, the Mission Director USAID, Anne Peterson, who joined the inauguration virtually identified the primary healthcare services as the foundation of strengthening universal health coverage.
She noted that USAID recognized the important roles healthcare system play in guaranteeing universal access to health services and improving the health outcome, while expressing the hope that this new steering committee would provide a road map in guiding primary healthcare partnership.
“USAID is committed to partner with FCT Administration to improve primary healthcare services by creating and strengthening systems that will improve and assist our primary healthcare in equitable distribution of resources”, she stated.
