The Federal Government has inaugurated a Rapid Result Initiative programme tagged “Better Health for all” which is designed to produce fast and visible impact that would affect the lives of every Nigerian especially the most vulnerable and poor in the society.
The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, at the launching of the initiative said it would be deployed in in seven major areas that would conform with both local and international health priorities and is expected to start achieving results within 100 days.
He added that 110 Primary Health Centres would be revamped within 100 days, one in each Senatorial district.
“During my unscheduled visit to Fuka, I noticed there was no functional PHC to offer basic health care and I promised that Federal Government will provide a functional facility, today as we speak the Fuka PHC is ready for commissioning”.
The ministry of health also partners with Novo Nordisk, to screen about 500,000 Nigerians for diabetes free of charge while they would be appropriately referred to facilities that would cater for their needs if warranted.
Adewole also said the Ministry would inaugurate Mutual Health Associations at community level to improve access to affordable and qualitative health care.
“Mutual Health Associations are either privately or publicly incorporated body registered by the National Health Insurance Scheme solely to access health care service through health care facilities accredited by the scheme”, he explained.
The Initiative would help treat 200,000 Severely Acute Malnourished children in the North East of the country, while 10,000 surgeries, including hernia, cleft lip, and palate repairs, myomectomy, hysterectomy, Vesico-vaginal Fistula (VVF) amongst others would be carried out on the indigent in 46, Federal tertiary institutions, the minister added.
Other aspects of the initiative include operationalizing the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, which entails having at least one laboratory in a government owned hospital in each geopolitical region including the Federal Capital Territory.
The designated hospitals as laboratories were University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano; University Of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Borno State, University of Enugu Teaching Hospital, Enugu State; Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Jos University Teaching Hospital and Asokoro/ Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital FCT.
