Malaria: IMPACT Commences Revitalisation of 58 PHCs in Nasarawa

Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia

The Immunisation Plus and Malaria Progress by Accelerating Coverage and Transforming Service (IMPACT) has commenced the revitalisation of 58 primary healthcare facilities in Nasarawa State to strengthen access to healthcare services in the state.

Project Manager of the IMPACT in Nasarawa State, Adamu Yakubu-Ohagenyi, disclosed this Friday at a one-day IMPACT project stakeholders’ engagement for improved health care outcome in Akwanga Local Government Areas of Nasarawa State.

He said the gesture is in collaboration with the state government through the Primary Healthcare Development Agency, supported by the World Bank.

Ohagenyi said the revitalisation and upgrade of the 58 facilities across the 13 local government areas of the state will be accomplished within a space of six weeks.

He also revealed that the IMPACT and partners are also building the capacity of health workers through training and enhanced incentives to enable it meet its target of reducing both maternal and infant mortality while also scaling down malaria infection threat through immunization and other interventions.

 The project manager added that IMPACT will also empower the PHCs to engage more health workers who will be moblised to go to all the nook and crannies of the state through outreaches, home visits to make sure that citizens of the state access health services.

“So far, we are strengthening the health care system by making sure that health workers especially at PHC level have the capacity to provide the much-needed services to the people as required of them by building their capacity. We have also bought some equipments for the basic health facilities and currently we have commenced the revitalisation and upgrading of the 58 PHCs facilities across the state,” he explained.

He however said despite the ongoing efforts to ride the state of diseases and child birth complications, the citizens are reluctant to visit healthcare facilities and access medicare.
He said because of this attitude, IMPACT and partners decided to put together a stakeholders’ meeting which include traditional rulers, leadership of the National Council of Women Society and religious leaders among others, to help sensitise citizens on the need to visit health facilities located near them to access medicare.

Also speaking at the occasion, the Permanent Secretary in the Nasarawa State Ministry of Health, Dr. John Ali Damian, said the state government has made significant progress in dealing with the malaria challenge through effective control but noted that total eradication of the disease has been difficult.
For the maternal and child mortality rate, the Permanent Secretary noted significant progress has also been made through sustained efforts by the state government and partners.

He however said the state government and other stakeholders will continue to support intensification of advocacy to get people to key into all healthcare programmes.

He promised that the state government will continue to strengthen healthcare infrastructure, provide manpower, equipment and other interventions required to respond to the challenges.