ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Minister of Health, Osagie Emmanuel Ehanire has stressed the need for functional Primary Healthcare Centers, (PHC) for improved health population in Nigeria.
He explained that the more people are healthy, the more productive they will be.
He stated this during the inauguration of South-East Traditional Leaders’ Committee on Primary Healthcare Delivery, by the Federal Ministry of Health, through the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, (NPHCDA) in Enugu on Friday.
The committee is made up of South-East Traditional Leaders Council, who are to oversee the Primary healthcare and its implementation and delivery in the region.
The Minister described the traditional rulers as the baselines who are very influential in the society and government, stressing that they would use their ‘soft power’ to ask for their own primary Healthcare in their own wards.
He said, “If the ward is very large or heavily populated, they can be more than one wards. But we need a functional primary healthcare center, to be able to improve the health of the Nigerian population . The more people are healthy, the more productive they are.”
He opined that traditional rulers are good in mobilizing people because they are most in contact with people. He also made it clear that if we are able to get traditional rulers to support the drive for functional primary Healthcare centers, they can take care of lots of problems that plague health centers in Nigeria.
Dr Festus Shaibu, the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, in his remarks stated that the essence of inuagurating the committee is to connect the communities with the Healthcare systems.
He also noted that “one of the mandates of the NPHCDA is to advocate for primary healthcare to make primary Healthcare come closer to where people live and work. To achieve this, there is need for collaboration between traditional rulers, who are the custodians of our culture and the agency.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the committee and Chairman Enugu State council of traditional rulers Igwe Ambassador Lawrence Agubuzo, said the traditional rulers in the South-East have been participating actively in getting the people vaccinated.
He said with this inauguration, “we are going to redouble our efforts in that direction, to make sure we get our people to participate fully in vaccination.
HRM Obi Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, Obi of Onitsha, decribed the inauguration as very important, adding that good health practices at the grassroot can save us from going to hospitals and also, save a lot of money.
“This is basically making the Federal Government and the state government to sensitize our people on the need or benefit of primary Healthcare.
“We are trying to have healthier communities and happier communities and the traditional rulers are committed to that”, he said.
Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, represented by the Commissioner of Health, Obi Emmanuel Ikechukwu said the traditional rulers are the gatekeepers of the communities.
“If Healthcare providers work with traditional rulers, then we are most likely to reach the target that are set for health care delivery.
Executive Secretary of the Primary Healthcare Agency, George Ugwu, commended the excellent work of Governor Ugwuanyi in the primary Healthcare centers.
He said the committee would help deepen the already existing relationships of the primary health care system in the state with the traditional rulers.
“To reach the community and get our services across, we have always worked with traditional leaders. Now that this committee is properly constituted and inaugurated, it will deepen what we are doing in the Primary Healthcare Agency and Ministry of Health.”