By Precious Oham
The Stakeholders Advocacy Group for the Global Global Fund NACA ATM C-19/RRSH Grant in Ekiti State has pledged to facilitate support for the State Primary Healthcare system.
The team made up of Civil Society on Malaria Control, ACOMIN, Network of People Living with HIV, NEPWHAN, Media and TB Network made the pledge during a familiarisation visit to the Ado LGA Health Authority.
According to the Programme Officer for the project, Funke Omojola, said the purpose of the visit is to intimate the Medical Officer of Health, MOH, in Ado Local Health Authority on their activities and solicit his support to help the facility in any aspect.
She disclosed that the main purpose of the grant is to strengthen health system in the country through partnership with the health facilities.
Her words: “We are here on a familiarisation visit to the MOH of Ado LGA. This is one of the facilities where we are working and this visit is to familiarise with the facility.
“The visit is to intimate MOH of our activities. He is aware that one of our CPOs is working here and we are soliciting his support to help them in any area where they require his assistance.
“The main purpose of this grant is to strengthen health system, working with the community and health facility and not waiting for the government.
“Whatever assistance they will require seems to be the link between the facility and the community. We have just come to solicit support for the CPO for their work to be effective.”
Meanwhile, the MOH for Ado LGA Health Authority, Dr. Adepoju Rasheed expressed his delight with the NGOs for their support to the Primary Healthcare system in the state.
He equally pleaded with the Ekiti State government to recruit more staff to aid the work at the health facilities noting that it has been a major challenge.
“I’m really impressed with what the NGOs are doing to support us here. You know that community support and mobilising is actually vital for Primary Healthcare in Nigeria because communities should own and support the facilities.
“What they are doing now is a step forward in that direction and I pray their efforts will yield positive results to the health facilities.
“The government is trying their best, there is no doubt about that. Mostly in the area of staffing is a great challenge, people are retiring and leaving but there is no replacement for those staff.
“We want government to try and recruit more staff, key health workers especially nurses and midwives.”