By Nnedinma Okeke
The Anambra State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (ASPHCDA) supporting Partners of Immunization and other Primary Healthcare (PHC) services such as; WHO, and UNICEF, has paid an advocacy visit to Office of the new Executive Secretary, ASPHCDA, Dr Obianuju Chinelo Okoye on May 13.
Leading the Team, the WHO Anambra State Coordinator, Dr Bonos Mohammed noted that the advocacy visit from Partners; WHO, UNICEF and a host of other partners was first and foremost, to hearty congratulate the new ASPHCDA ES/CEO on her well deserved appointment.
“We are also here to give you a brief, of our activities and reassure you that, WHO staff and other Partners are available for any assistance you may need technically or other wise to further the activities of the Agency in areas concerning immunization and PHC services delivery,” Dr Bonos said.
Briefing the ES, the WHO State Coordinator noted the key supported programmes by Partners in the State to include; PHC Service delivery and Re-vitalization, Maternal and Child Health, Routine Immunization (RI) and Vaccines Logistics, New Vaccine Introduction, Emergency preparedness/Response, and Disease surveillance and Outbreak response.
Also, Non communicable Diseases (NCDs), Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria (ATM), together with Risk Communication and Community Engagement( RCCE). He, further, updated the Executive Secretary on RI feedback performance between 2024 and 2026.
Dr Bonos noted that there was need to address as a matter of urgency some gaps existing in the system. These according to him includes; Governance gaps, Human resources gaps, Supply chain gaps, Data quality issues, and Demand barriers.
Responding, the Executive Secretary expressed gratitude to the Partners for their support and contributions to strengthening healthcare system and ensuring service delivery in Anambra State.
She explained that she was going to have a roundtable discussion with the State Immunization Officer and Directors of Primary Healthcare (PHC) on immunization and some other programmes that needs little changes while noting that though some programmes were not under the Agency’s umbrella, its foot soldiers are the PHC workers.
“Basically now, we are trying to ensure equal distribution of Healthcare workers. We are currently collating Bio data of the PHC workforce, which entails their residential address, and the LGA they are working. With aid of the committee formed, workers will be placed at PHCs that are closer/not very far from where they are living.
“We are working to ensure that our PHCs will always be open and functional so we can easily identify gaps in the system. Advocacy will be made for a second State Cold Chain Equipment as we want a situation whereby we have a strong Cold Chain system. Not fixing one, and overloading it.
“I am also looking at the already established workplan to see how trainings can be fitted in, this will be reviewed with the Honourable Commissioner for Health, Dr Afam Obidike.
“We would work to ensure that programme officers have the requisite knowledge/skill in their respective categories, and this is to ensure we do not train people incapacitated of yielding positive results,” Dr Okoye added.
Concluding, the UNICEF Vaccine Security and Logistics (VSL) Consultant, Mr Stanley Osum thanked the ES/CEO for the process towards streamlining placement of Health workers in facilities not too very far from them, as it had been a huge challenge for many workers in the system.
Also present at the visit includes; WHO APHO – Mrs Uju Orjiagu and WHO LGAF – Mrs Iyeneomi Joshua.
Nnedinma is of the Ministry of Information, Anambra State
