Charles Ekanem|24 January 2017
National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) today at Tinapa Lakeside Resort began a 5 days Comprehensive Multi Year Plan meeting for immunisation. 2016-2020 with update on the status of implementation and proposed areas of revision of Comprehensive Multi year Plan, healthcare Services Specification Projects (HSSP) and Global Alliance for Vaccines, primary healthcare revitalization and Immunization (Gavi) Country Engagement Framework.
Declaring the CMYP meeting open, DG CRSPHCDA Dr Betta Edu said in CRS and the entire nation, immunization which is the entry point to the health system is very important to the healthcare delivery. His Excellency, the Governor of Cross River, Prof. Ben Ayade is dedicated to the revitalization of Primary Healthcare in the state in line with the National focus of Revitalizing of PHC. "We have been doing everything possible to achieve a wider coverage of immunization in the state by improving our exercise in Hard to reach areas, improving data and provision of incentives to the front line health workers. Most of which have been captured in our 2017 budget said the DG".
Earlier speaking, Chief Medical Officer NPHCDA, Dr Bassey Okposen said Nigeria needs to make some adjustment to the current CMYP to accommodate developing realities. He noted huge gaps in Polio funding, gaps in data quality, inadequate cold chain capacity and poor maintenance of Cold Chain equipments especially at sub national level though he said his highly impressed by Cross River State for their maintenance level and improvement of immunization coverage and delivery.
According to him the current administration is committed and resolved to revitalize PHC in the country through effort to rehabilitate one PHC Center in each of the 9557 wards to provide comprehensive services.
The meeting had in attendance representatives of Gavi Partners; Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), DFID, UNICEF, WHO, Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation and others.
The last day of the meeting will focus on finalization and harmonization of work plan for effective utilization.
Charles Ekanem
Writes from Calabar
