Francis Ogbuagu 
The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire has disclosed that Nigeria is among the nations with the worst health indices on earth, regarding child, maternal and even road traffic accidents.
This he said happens mostly in rural areas with no health care, but plenty of ignorance, despite considerable expenditure on health.
He noted that to change things, steps must be taken to win the people’s trust, confidence and acceptance of government health interventions, in order to save lives and reduce illnesses.
Ehanire pointed out that the primary healthcare system was the bedrock of any functional healthcare delivery system, being the citizens’ first point of contact with the nation’s healthcare system.
He said it had been confirmed that up to 60 -70 per cent of what had been driving people to seek health care could be provided near them, in a primary health care centre, which he described as a platform to deliver basic preventive, curative and rehabilitative health care to communities, for public education and enlightenment on hygiene, nutrition, family planning and child care, among others, being so close to the people.
The health minister stated these on Saturday in his keynote address at the inauguration of the South-South Zone Traditional Leaders’ Committee (SSTLC) on Primary Health Care Delivery at the Festival Hall of Government House, Benin, Edo State.
He said: “This event marks an important milestone in our efforts to expand and strengthen the delivery of healthcare services to all citizens, particularly in the South-South zone, and at the grass-roots level.
“Nigeria has made significant progress in recent years in improving primary health care services, especially with the revitalisation of more primary health care centres, with the policy of the Buhari administration, that aims to leave no one behind. However, we still have a lot of work to do, especially in rural and hard-to-reach areas, where access to healthcare services remains a major challenge.
“Experience teaches us that government cannot do it alone. This is why in all our primary health interventions, community engagement remains our strategic approach.
“In this regard, we know that our respected traditional leaders are key to success, because, not carrying the gatekeepers and custodians of our culture and values along, yields no result.”
Ehanire also stated that efforts were being made to build a partnership with the monarchs, whom he described as the custodians of community interest, to fast-track ways to promote health and prevent disease among the people, with scientifically-proven ways and means in modern health care.
Edo Governor, Godwin Obaseki, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the state’s Ministry of Health, Dr Stanley Ehiarimwian, hailed the health minister, for making the state proud, while promising to support the newly-inaugurated SSTLC, so as to achieve its goals.
The Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib, in his remarks, stated that SSTLC was conceived as a zonal coordination platform for paramount traditional leaders from the six states in the South-South zone.
He said: “The intent is for our traditional fathers to meet quarterly, to receive updates on the status of primary health care in their states from the government, through NPHCDA; discuss their states best practices and challenges if any; share experiences on how best each state can improve the quality and uptake of immunisation services (polio, routine immunisation and COVID-19 vaccination), and other PHC services.
“Our humble expectation from the SSTLC is continuous and intensive support in the areas of role modelling, community advocacy, sensitisation, resource mobilisation, and monitoring of all primary health care interventions.
“The traditional institution in Nigeria has always played a pivotal role in all aspects of our social life.
