Despite routine immunisation progress in North, primary healthcare not performing optimally ― FG

The Federal Government has said despite remarkable progress, especially in Polio eradication and routine immunisation made in the North, the primary health care system is still not in optimal performance yet.

It said with the support of the traditional leaders, the government still have a lot of work to do to achieve the collective goal of bequeathing a Primary Health care system that is responsive to the needs of the people.

The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja, at the quarterly review meeting of the Northern Traditional Leaders Committee on Primary Health Care Delivery (NTLC).

Ehanire said that Looking back at the country’s health indices in the Northern part of the country, it has made remarkable progress, especially in Polio eradication and routine immunisation.

“We will remain eternally grateful to your Eminence and all traditional Leaders for this steady progress.

“We still have a lot of work to do to achieve our collective goal of bequeathing a Primary Health Care (PHC), a system that is responsive to the needs of the people.

“We need to further strengthen our community engagement through your royal highnesses to ensure that our people, especially the most vulnerable are protected by being fully vaccinated against Polio and COVID-19 and other childhood diseases,” he said.

According to him, for a disease like COVID-19, developing herd immunity without having a vaccine would be devastating.

Also, the Chairman of NTLC and Emir of Argungu, HRH, Alhaji Samaila Mera said that the spread of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) is of great concern in the country.

Mera said that the country must not relent in ensuring that it mobilises, educate and create demand for vaccines against all vaccines preventable diseases.

He also urged the Federal Government to do more in building confidence in Nigerians.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) Country Representative, in Nigeria, said that what is clear is that it is necessary for the country achieved herd immunity against COVID-19.

Mulombo who was represented by Dr Alex Chimbaru, deputy country Representative, said that this could only happen through vaccination across the country to prevent SARS-CoV-2.

He said that the country must ensure to get to its achieved herd immunity goal of 70 per cent of its edible population by December 2022.

Similarly, the Representative of UNICEF Nigeria, Dr Eduardo Celades Blanco, said that the country’s immunisation programme has improved, stressing that more needed to be done.

“We know in Nigeria that immunization uptake was affected and several immunization campaigns to prevent children from vaccine-preventable diseases were cancelled or postponed.

“As a result, we are now seeing disease outbreaks including, vaccine-derived polio virus. There is much work to do ahead of us.

“With your leadership and support, I am certain that the country can do a better, healthier and peaceful future for our children,” he said.

Blanco stated that every dollar invested in the country’s PHC has 16 dollars in returns.

Meanwhile, the Executive Director of, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency(NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib, said that the country has launched SCALES 3.0 strategy.

Shuaib said that the strategy is an intensive campaign focused on ramping up the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines, childhood vaccines and other PHC services at public and private health facilities, and mass vaccination sites nationwide.

He said the aim is to accelerate the COVID-19 vaccinations to mitigate infections.

According to him, our modest achievements to date such as the eradication of the Wild Poliovirus (WV) and the steady progress we are making in RI and COVID-19 Vaccination would not have been possible without the commitment and sacrifices of the NTLC.

“We need to further strengthen our community engagement as the risk of polio {is still very much with us.

“Apart from the fact that we are still contending with the challenge of cVPV2, the re-emergence of WPV in some African countries shows that all countries are vulnerable until the virus is eradicated worldwide.”

The NPHCDA boss said that this reinforces the saying that as long as polio is detected anywhere in the world, every child, everywhere is at risk.

The quarterly review meeting of the paramount rulers under the umbrella body, NTLC is determined to continue with their role of mass mobilisation and community engagement to boost population immunity and improve health indicators in the region.

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