[Mhiz Rebecca]

The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for
Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Rebecca Moeti has pledged to support
the Nigeria’s health agenda especially in the areas of
universal health coverage, primary healthcare, resource
mobilization, capacity building, maternal and child health,
immunization to prevent child killer diseases, as well to
improve surveillance and preparedness against health
emergencies.
Dr. Moeti made this known on Monday, 11th July, 2016 while
meeting with management of the Federal Ministry of Health in
Abuja.
She said that the essence of her visit was to meet with
national authorities in Nigeria to strategies on ways of
sustaining the landmark achievements so far in the health
sector.
To her, “Nigeria is biggest country in Africa in terms of
population so it is very important to work with Nigerian
Government to improve the healthcare system of the country if
Nigerians are healthy it means African people are healthy.”
While speaking on primary healthcare, the WHO Regional
Director for Africa said that primary healthcare and universal
health coverage is number one priority in WHO Agenda,
Nigeria and WHO would share experience, ideas on primary
healthcare system with a view to achieving the universal
health coverage in the country.
“I want to assure you of our firm commitment and support to
make sure that Nigeria realize and achieve the laudable
Health Agenda”, she said.
She further suggested that government at all levels should
provide incentives to healthcare officials residing in rural
areas , such incentive will encourage them to put in their best
no matter the difficult circumstance they find themselves.
Earlier in his presentation entitled “Universal Health Coverage
an Agenda for Change”, the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac
Adewole, said that the Ministry’s focus is more on achieving
the universal health coverage as it was believed that it would
change the perspective of health to the one that is
contributory to national development.
He said that federal government is on the process of
rehabilitating 10,000 PHC in the next two years with minimum
of one functional PHC per ward.
“Having at least, one functional health facility per ward,
offering quality health services 24 hour 7 days a week for free,
will go a long way of closing the gap between the rich and the
poor in accessing the healthcare service”, he said.