Stakeholders in the Health Sector have converged in the ancient of Sokoto for the 58th National Council on Health (NCH). The Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Amina Shamaki said that the purpose of NCH meeting was to discuss issues on health policy making nationwide.
She said “the theme of the conference is Universal Health Coverage, an agenda for change, we are going to discuss on how to ensure availability of healthcare services at the Primary level, where majority of Nigerians resides”
“If we have functional healthcare centres at the grass root level, reporting system would be very effective and any outbreak of disease would be nip in the bud, there would be no room for epidemics”
Dr. Shamaki said that the participants at the Technical Session which scheduled to hold on 7thand 8th March, 2016 includes Permanent Secretaries of State Ministry of Health and their Directors of Health Planning Research and Statistics from the 36 States of the Federation and Abuja.
She said that the main council meeting would hold on Thursday and Friday 10th and 11th March, 2016 respectively with all the Hon. Commissioners in session and to be chaired by the Hon Minister of Health Prof Isaac Adewole.
In his remarks the Hon. Commissioner of Health, Sokoto State Dr. Shehu Kakale Shuni said that Sokoto State has given maximum support for the 58th National Council on Health.
He said “as you can see we have been working assiduously toward the success of the programme. We have been working round the clock to make sure that all stakeholders are contacted, everything is put in place to host this very important gathering of almost about 1000 people coming to the great city of the Caliphate”
The major focus of this year’s NCH according to the commissioner is about Universal Health Coverage, is about providing healthcare in a way that common man would understand, it is about less talk and more work.”
He added that bringing healthcare to the grass root, operationalizing it at the Primary Healthcare Centres with adequate equipment and man power would give opportunity to Nigerians to enjoy access to quality healthcare services.
He said among the memos he would present at the meeting includes community midwife scheme, improvement and up scaling of NOMA Children Hospital to National magnificent plastic surgery centre, Kuli-kuli to be incorporated in the nutritional programme of the country, as well as improving service of Fistula Centre in Sokoto State.
