FCT department engages area councils, states on primary healthcare

The Save One Million Lives Programme for Results (SOMLforR) will engage FCT area councils and states in providing healthcare services to Nigerians in 2019.SOMLforR is a subsidiary of the FCT Health and Human Services Secretariat (HHSS).

The Programme Manager, SOMLforR, Mr Samson Eriba, stated this on Friday at the end of a five days training on capacity building for ISS in Mararaba, Nasarawa State.

He said SOMLforR would give quality services at its primary healthcare facilities through an Integrated Supportive Supervision (ISS) by using area councils and the states.

Eriba said that SOMLforR resolved at the meeting to engage area councils and states’ supportive supervisions to enhance the activities of the primary healthcare.

He explained that the state level ISS would be quarterly and the area councils’ bi-Monthly.

“We have come up with key resolutions on how to improve quality of services at our primary health facilities through integrated supportive supervision.

“We reviewed and updated the checklist to accommodate more programme indicators; we resolved to have area councils and state level supportive supervisions.

“State level ISS will be quarterly while Area Council teams will be bi-monthly. These are to be imputed into the 2019 work plan and commence implementation,’’ he said.

He, however, stated that the unit was faced with challenges such as lack of vehicles for movement and access during operations.

According to him, other challenges includes difficult terrains that make communities hard to reach and inadequate human resources to provide services.

“We are forced to engage community volunteers and mentor mothers to promote Ante Natal Care and Prevention of Mother To Child Transmission (ANC/PMTCT) Services,’’ Eriba said.