Ekiti, NPHCDA Rally Stakeholders ,Intensify Community Mobilisation for Improved PHC Utilisation

The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), in collaboration with the Ekiti State Primary Health Care Development Agency (SPHCDA), has intensified efforts to improve utilisation of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) through stakeholder engagement and community mobilisation across the state.

The Executive Secretary of the Ekiti State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Akintunde Ogunsakin, said active community participation remained crucial to strengthening the healthcare system and improving service delivery at the grassroots.

Ogunsakin stated this in Ado-Ekiti during a Citizen Engagement Town Hall Meeting organised by the NPHCDA in collaboration with the state PHCDA.

Represented by the agency’s Director of Disease Control and Immunisation, Dr Olusegun Adeoye, the Executive Secretary said the meeting was part of ongoing efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery and improve access to quality medical services at the grassroots.

He said the forum brought together critical stakeholders to deliberate on strategies for improving utilisation of PHC facilities across the state.

According to him, stronger community involvement is essential to ensuring effective and sustainable healthcare services.

Participants at the engagement included traditional rulers, community leaders, religious leaders, market women, youth representatives, artisans, health workers, midwives, pregnant and nursing mothers, persons with disabilities, media professionals, civil society organisations and development partners.

Representatives of development organisations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, Centre for Communication and Social Impact (CCSI), Christian Health Association, Red Cross and CHAI, also attended the forum.

The meeting focused on identifying practical measures to improve public confidence in Primary Healthcare Centres and encourage residents to utilise PHC facilities within their communities.

In a presentation, Miss Halima Yusuf of the NPHCDA, Abuja, highlighted ongoing Federal Government reforms aimed at revitalising PHCs nationwide.

Yusuf said the reforms included upgrading Level One PHCs to Level Two standards through infrastructure rehabilitation, improved staff accommodation, installation of solar power systems, provision of boreholes and supply of essential medical equipment.

She identified major challenges confronting PHCs as inadequate power supply, shortage of skilled birth attendants, poor infrastructure and insufficient staff accommodation.

Yusuf also disclosed that the Federal Government was investing in the training of 120,000 frontline health workers nationwide, adding that more than 78,000 personnel had already been trained across the country to improve PHC service delivery.

Also speaking, the State Coordinator of NPHCDA, Mr Busayo Afuye, said 94 out of the 106 PHCs earmarked for revitalisation and solarisation under the IMPACT Project and Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) initiative in Ekiti had been completed.

Afuye said the interventions were aimed at making PHCs more accessible, functional and reliable for residents across communities.

The forum also featured an interactive session during which participants shared experiences, concerns and recommendations on improving healthcare service delivery.

Stakeholders commended the Federal and State Governments for ongoing efforts to strengthen primary healthcare systems and pledged to encourage greater utilisation of PHC facilities in their respective communities.

The town hall engagement forms part of broader national efforts to reposition Primary Healthcare Centres as the first point of care and ensure equitable, affordable and quality healthcare services for Nigerians at the grassroots., NPHCDA Intensify Community Mobilisation for Improved PHC Utilisation