NPHCDA Deploys 2963 Solar Direct Drive to Boost Immunization
As part of efforts by the National Primary Health Care Development to increase immunization rate and strengthen supply chain, the agency has collaborated with Gavi in deploying and installing a total of 2,963 Solar Direct Drive (SDD) cold chain equipment in phase 1 and a total of 6,346 of these equipment is expected to be installed between 2021 – 2022 across all states of the federation.
Executive Director and chief Executive of the agency Dr Faisal Shuaib disclosed this in an interactive session with the media in Abuja.
He said the development is in line with the revitalization agenda of the Primary Health Care (PHC) initiatives of the present administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to him, Mr president flagged-off the Primary Health Care Revitalization programme in January 2017 at Model Primary Health Care Centre, Kunchigoro, in Abuja
In order to effectively drive the programme, he said that the agency through the Technical Support Programme (TSP) has set up the Leadership Development Academy(LDA) in 2018 to ensure a highly skilled technical workforce effective Technical Assistance (TA) delivery to States of the federation.
He posited that the goal is to create a system that builds the capacity of personnel within NPHCDA in a systematic and sustainable way to contribute meaningfully
Speaking further on the LDA, the NPHCDA boss explained that the leadership programme adopts a mix of in-class training, mentoring, external rotations, e-learning, capstone project, and learning tour to deliver the required skills to its enrolees and will last for just six months.
He also noted that the number of participants has pegged for now at 30 per cohort and will graduate as fellows, equipped to lead TA delivery and serve as model employees
Other attributes after the training will be good problem solving, stakeholder management, performance management, work planning and execution skills apart from being able to competently use MS office tools like word, excel and power point for information management.
Meanwhile, Dr Shuaib has revealed that about 148 women die from pregnancy related ailments daily in Nigeria because of their inability to access PHC services.
In view of the negative development, a declaration of State of public health concern on Maternal and Child Deaths was made on April 8th, 2019 with a decision to establish a National Coordination Centre to provide guidance and oversight on RMNCAH + N activities at the Primary Health Care level.
He said a National Emergency Maternal and Child Health Intervention Centre (NEMCHIC) was put in place as an antidote to the daily death rate and would be checkmated through recruitment of Midwives, Support production of nurses by the Nursing & Midwifery Council of Nigeria, and deployment of doctors to PHC level, train Community Health and community midwifery Extension Workers with Life programme by the Nursing & Saving Skills based on the Midwifery Council of Nigeria existing Task Shifting Policy, just as reduction of maternal and child mortality is strongly dependent on availability of Skilled Birth Attendants.
He said through the “Reach Every Ward with Adequate Skilled Birth Attendants” (REWSBA) strategy, skilled birth attendants will be mobilized, trained, equipped, deployed, supported and retained for PHC service delivery in every ward in Nigeria.
Speaking on Covid-19 pandemic, Dr Shuaib noted that the Agency set up the command center at National and State levels to work collaboratively with NCDC and other partner agencies to manage and respond to COVID-19 pandemic, adding that the Agency facilitated training of over 220,000 healthcare workers and community volunteers at National and subnational levels on best practices during routine operations and service delivery.
