Funding, legislation… UNICEF’s 7 ways of improving primary healthcare

The  United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Monday revealed nine elements for improving primary health care services under the primary health care under one roof (PHCUOR) strategy.

Abdulai Kaikai, UNICEF chief field officer in Bauchi, made this known at a stakeholders engagement meeting on ‘Re-positioning Primary Healthcare Facilities’, held at Gembu in Taraba.

He said the elements are organisation, legislation, minimum service package, re-positioning, system development, operational guidelines, human resources, funding/structure and office set up.

He said that the fund was sponsoring the PHCUOR strategy as an operational guideline to all primary healthcare development agencies (PHCDA) across the country.

Kakai commended the Taraba state PHCDA for improving its service delivery and pledged that the UNICEF would continue to support the agency.

“We are aware of the score from assessment done a year ago of 25 per cent and have collectively witnessed improvement in the Taraba State Primary Health Care Development Agency (SPHCDA),” he said.

“The agency now has an improved internal assessment score of 37 per cent, six months from the first assessment.”

Victor Bala, chairman of Taraba state PHCDA, said that the health situation of the state would be improved when critical challenges affecting it were addressed.

He listed the challenges to include inadequate water and electricity, obsolete equipment, low supply of drugs, irregular and inadequate staff remuneration and low staff morale.

“This scenario cannot be allowed to continue or else our children and those unborn will have no future and we will be a waste land of disabilities and liabilities,” Bala said.

In his remarks, Aminu Hassa, executive secretary of the agency, expressed optimism on the successful implementation of the PHCUOR strategy in the state.

He commended UNICEF for its continued support to the state toward enhancing health care service delivery, and appealed to the state government to release the agency’s takeoff grant.

PHCUOR is aimed at integrating primary healthcare services under a single authority to reduce fragmentation.