• Reiterates commitment to providing effective primary health care 

MINISTER of State for Health, Dr. Khaliru Alhassan has directed the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and its partners to ensure that Nigeria exits from polio endemic countries in line with the presidential deadline on the programme. 

The minister gave the directive Tuesday while receiving the Executive Director of the Agency, Dr. Ado Muhammad, who was in his office to brief the Minister on the mandate, progress and challenges facing. it on it;s prorammes Implementation. 

Khaliru recalled the highest political commitment made by President Goodluck Jonathan and Governors in the country to ensure that Nigeria became polio-free before the end of tile present Administration. 

He charged the Agency, its partners and other stakeholders not to leave any stone unturned at ensuring the realization of the Presidential commitment towards a polio-free Nigeria soonest. The Minister expressed his determination and commit- 

ment to work closely with the Agency in ensuring effective Primary Health Care (PHC) for all in the country. 

Executive Director, NPHCDA, Dr. Ado Muhammad, in a statement signed by the Agency's Assistant Director and Head, Public Relations Unit (PRU), Sa'adu Salahu, highlighted the agency's mandate, achievements and challenges especially in the Health Care past two years. The achievements, Ado disclosed, included 84 per cent coverage in routine immunisation, 59 per cent reduction in polio cases in 2013, and no single transmission ofType 3 of polio virus in the one and half years and only one case of Type 1 of polio virus since the beginning of 2014. 

Other achievements according to Ado, included provision of over 10, 000 health workers through the Midwives Service Scheme and SURE-P on maternal and child health, comprising midwives, nurses and community health workers. 

He also disclosed that a routine immunisation strategy for protection of Nigerian children against child killer diseases was launched last year while over 23 million Nigerian children have been vaccinated against measles and meningitis in the past 

two years.

Ado reiterated the commitment of the NPHCDA's leadership towards ensuring a resounding success of the presidential transformation agenda in the Primary Health Care Sub-sector and appealed for the minister's support especially in consolidating the gains already recorded. Ado had earlier urged Nigerians to take full advantage of the on-going federal government's huge investments in the renovation of over five hundred Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities spread throughout the country. 

Ado made the call during inspection of one of the 500 renovated health- centres under the Subsidy Reinvestment Programme (SURE-P) on Maternal and Child Health (MNCH) at Gasuwo Primary Health Care Centre in Toro Local Government area of Bauchi State. 

Ado disclosed that in addition to renovation of health centres nationwide, vaccines for all antigens, essential drugs, commodities, bore-holes for regular supply of drinkable water and much needed health workers such as' midwives, nurses and 

community health workers were parts of integrated package provided under the SURE-P on Maternal and Child Health for the benefit of Nigerian women and children. 

He advised members of the Ward Development Committees in all the benefiting communities to participate actively in mobilizing women and children in their areas for maximum utilization of the health facilities.

In a short remark, the officer in charge of the centre, Janet Sanda acknowledged the availability of vaccines 

and medical equipment at the health centre. 

While commending the Federal Government for its interventions on the health needs of the community, members of the Ward Development Committees (WDC) in the areas decried non-availability of electricity at the health centre. 

By Chukwuma Muanya

THE GUARDIAN