By Daniel Tyokua
The Federal Captial Territory Administration, FCTA, has said it will soon overcome challenges of health care service delivery across the territory.
Minister of state for FCT, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu gave the assurance at the flag off sensitization workshop of key stakeholders for the establishment of the community primary healthcare management system in the nation’s capital.
She said as part of the FCT Administration commitment to quality health care services, in 2020 renovation of 12 PHC facilities would be concluded, another 6 PHC Clinics upgraded to PHC Centers and 6 more PHC centers would be rehabilitated across the six Area Councils.
The minister explained the seriousness and urgency the FCT Administration atteach to matters that have direct impact on maternal and child health services, by identifying quality health care system as a key to social economic development and progress of any country.
Represented by her Senior Special Assistant on Administration and Strategy, Prof. Muhammad Usman, revealed that the FCT Administration within a year has progressed towards revitalization of the primary healthcare scheme and linking residents to services.
He said the administration has approved the implementation of the FCT-PHCB, 2019, and soon the FCT-PHCB with the Area Councils PHC governance structures would be established in line with the Act.
The minister who acknowledged that the administration was aware of the deplorable state of primary healthcare infrastructures and the enormous amount of money required to rehabilitate them, however assured that a phased approach to fix them would be adopted.
In her words: “Health which is a fundamental human right, requires PHC approach which allows for Integrated care comprising preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative services extending from “womb to tomb”. It is the first point of contact with the National Health System and a key to socio economic development and progress of a country. As a matter of fact, Universal Health Coverage cannot be achieved without the involvement of the local community.
“In the area of PHC infrastructure to expand physical access services, we are aware of the deplorable state of our PHC infrastructure and the enormous amount of money required to rehabilitate them. That is why we are adopting a phased approach to fix the problems”.
In his remarks, the Ag. Secretary of FCT Health and Human Services Secretariat, Dr. Mohammed Kawu noted that the community PHC management system was one of the essential principles of the primary healthcare scheme, stressing that with inter-sectoraral collaboration and equity in distribution of resources, community health outcomes would be improved significantly.
On his part, The chairman, FCT traditional council of chiefs, the Ona of Abaji, HRM. Alhaji Adamu Baba Yunusa, charged participants to come up with document that could be used by the administration that would lead to significant improvement in the primary healthcare sector.
