CSOs scale up access to disease interventions in communities
The AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria (ATM) networks have scaled-up access to interventions towards addressing gaps in the health systems and infrastructures for efficient and effective outcomes in communities within FCT. The network comprising Malaria Control, Immunisation and Nutrition (ACOMIN), TB Network, and Network of People Living with HIV and AIDs in Nigeria (NEPWHAN) disclosed this on Friday in Abuja.
Mr Salifu King-Nathaniel, TB Network Coordinator, representing the networks, said they had collaborated with NACA on COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM) to address gaps in healthcare service delivery. King-Nathaniel noted that inadequate staffing, equipment, regular stock-outs of commodities, and high treatment costs, negatively impact the quality of care and access to these essential services in Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs).
” These challenges require the attention and efforts of the government at all levels, the private sector and community members.
“We are calling on you, our media partners to help amplify these to the hearing of decision-makers at national, state, local and community levels, ” he said.
He called for increased funding and support for PHCs by government, private and philanthropists, religious organisations and community support to improve access to health care services. He said that through their interventions, the network improved behavioural change in terms of taking ownership and sustainability of PHCs.According to him, they also donated hospital consumables and non-consumables and increased deployment of CHEWs, Nurses and Midwives across.
Responding, Mrs Elizabeth Ladipo, Deputy Director, Advocacy Communication for Social Mobilisation, FCT Primary Healthcare Board, said their interventions had improved community ownership in the management and care of PHCs in communities.
” ACOMIN has been doing a lot of sensitisation and work at community levels, which has improved the services rendered at our various PHCs,” she said.
Also, Hajiya Zainab Ibrahim, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, FCT Action for Control of AIDs (FACA) said the interventions in HIV/AIDs sector had ensured the scale Prevention of Mother Child Transmission (PMCT) and provision of test kits in over 200 facilities
” Through our collaboration, we have been able to get the impact of your interventions in the facilities that you are making interventions
” We have been able to get pregnant women that were supposed to be tested but were unable to do so due to lack of commodities.
” And through these interventions and engagement we have been able to provide test kits to these facilities, ” she said.
She further informed the stakeholders that there was also a PMCT scale-up in all the facilities, especially those that were not having any partners that are implementing with them. Mrs Deborah Azeez, Chief Health Promotion Officer, Public Health Department, FCTA, said the partnership with the various network has reduced the spread of diseases. Azeez, however, advised the public to continue to adhere to the COVID-19 preventive measures to curtail the spread and eradicate diphtheria, anthrax and other diseases.
NAN/S.S
