By Nnedinma Okeke
The Anambra State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ASPHCDA), in collaboration with the State Ministry of Health (SMOH) and Development partners, has held a one-day engagement meeting with Local Government Area (LGA) leaders and other stakeholders to strengthen immunisation and Primary Healthcare (PHC) service delivery across the state.
The meeting, held on October 16, at Best Western Melloch Hotel, Ifite, Awka, brought together LGA Mayors, Supervisory Councillors for Health, Directors of Primary Health Care from the 21 LGAs, representatives of Development partners and other key stakeholders in the health sector.
The engagement focused on strengthening leadership, governance, coordination, oversight and intersectoral collaboration to improve the delivery of essential primary health care services at the grassroots.
Key objectives included reviewing the performance of routine immunisation and other PHC services, identifying service delivery gaps, assessing disease surveillance and outbreak response, clarifying the roles and responsibilities of LGA leadership in PHC governance, and strengthening LGA task forces on PHC revitalisation and immunisation.
The meeting also sought to deepen political commitment to immunisation and primary health care, while promoting stronger collaboration among the State Ministry of Health, ASPHCDA, Development partners, LGA authorities and community stakeholders.
Speaking at the meeting, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Afam Obidike, said the engagement would provide an opportunity to assess and compare immunisation performance across the 21 LGAs, identify areas requiring improvement and strengthen accountability for results.
He called on LGA leaders to provide the necessary support for immunisation activities, particularly by ensuring the availability of logistics and other resources needed to reach underserved and hard-to-reach communities, while highlighting the role of LGA leadership in ensuring that residents benefit from Government policies and health interventions at the PHC level.
In her welcome address, the Executive Secretary of ASPHCDA, Dr Chizoba Prisca Ezeasor, emphasised that the engagement goes beyond immunisation to addressing the broader issues of governance, accountability, coordination and local ownership of primary health care services.
She explained that the Primary Health Care Under One Roof (PHCUOR) policy is designed to promote coordination, integration, efficiency and unified management of primary health care services, noting that its objectives could only be achieved through the active participation of all levels of Government.
“Our goal is simple: a strong, well-coordinated primary health care system in which every level of Government takes responsibility and every child and community has access to essential health services,” Dr. Ezeasor added, while reaffirming ASPHCDA’s commitment to providing the necessary technical guidance and coordination in strengthening service delivery.
The engagement also featured technical presentations by the WHO Anambra State Coordinator, Dr Bonos Mohammed; the Permanent Secretary, State Ministry of Health, Dr Obiageli Uchebo; the Director of Community Health Services, ASPHCDA, Dr Ngozi Okeke; the State Immunisation Officer, Mrs Edith Onwuka; and the State Epidemiologist, Dr Chuma Emembolu; and WHO Public Health Officer, Mrs Uju Orjiakor.
The presentations addressed key issues relating to routine immunisation performance, disease surveillance, outbreak preparedness and response, PHC governance, service delivery gaps and the responsibilities of LGA stakeholders in improving health outcomes.
The engagement underscored the importance of translating policy commitments into practical actions at the local level, with effective leadership, resource mobilisation, accountability and community participation identified as essential to improving access to quality primary health care services.
The meeting concluded with a renewed call for stronger collaboration among the State Government, Local Government Authorities, Development partners and Community stakeholders to build a responsive, accessible and sustainable primary healthcare system across Anambra State.
Nnedinma is of the Ministry of Information and Value Reformation, Anambra State
