The United States Agency for International Development, USAID, and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support the revitalisation of the FCT healthcare system.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the MoU specified that the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) would serve as the baseline for overall health status improvement.
While the 2023 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey would serve as the end line survey.
The MoU also acknowledges the Federal Government and FCT Department of Health and Human Services Secretariat policies, standards and implementation guidelines for achieving health systems strengthening.
It particularly seeks to strengthen Primary Health Care Under One Roof (PHCUOR) and Primary Health Care (PHC) Systems and service delivery.
The Mission Director, USAID/Nigeria, Anne Patterson, said the collaboration would enable primary healthcare deliver quality, affordable and sustainable preventive services to the residents of the FCT.
She stated that the health status of the FCT population was fair, when compared with other states of the Federation.
Patterson, however, noted that with the crisis in the North-East and perception of economic opportunities in the nation’s capital, FCT had seen an increase in the influx of people from other parts of the country.
She said that the population increase was putting stress on the available public infrastructure, especially primary healthcare facilities, which are ill-equipped and under-resourced to address the increased health needs of the residents.
“The purpose of the MOU is to support the revitalisation of the FCT healthcare system to deliver quality, affordable, and sustainable preventive and primary healthcare services to the residents of FCT.
“With the signing of this MOU, USAID expects to apply global best practices and provide high-level technical expertise to assist the FCTA to meet their health improvement goals to operationalise their health plans and their reform strategies,” she said.
The FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Aliyu, who signed the MoU on behalf of the FCT Administration, acknowledged the tremendous role of USAID/Nigeria in the development of healthcare facilities in the FCT.
Aliyu said that the FCTA would actively sustain and build on the cost-effective intervention of the partnership.
The minister recalled that USAID had recently supported the FCTA with a 20 million dollars investment in family planning and reproductive health interventions, supporting facilities to improve service delivery.
She also said that USAID had distributed contraceptive commodities, due to increasing demand among local communities.
NAN reports that the MoU would cover a period of five years and USAID plans to commit 45 million dollars over the next five years period to the FCT through four existing health activities.
These are the Integrated Health Programme, Breakthrough Action, Health Workforce Management and the Global Health Supply Chain. (NAN)
