The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Health Matters, Dr. Salma Anas-Ibrahim, disclosed that lack of proper attention giving to primary health care in the country, caused mortality.
She made this known on Friday at the seventh annual conference of the Association of Nigeria Health Journalists in collaboration with the World Health Organisation in Nasarawa State.
According to her, the PHC is the fulcrum for a resilient health system and should be structured to be able to deliver services that will support the attainment of UHC and guarantee health security.
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Salma said: “In Nigeria however, the PHC level of care has received the least attention and continues to add to the burden of morbidity and mortality especially due to pregnancy-related conditions making it the weakest link of the health service delivery system.
“In the integrated system that we are promoting, our aspiration is to ensure that as soon as a pregnant woman visits a healthcare facility, the quality and level of care she requires to deliver a healthy child is assured including the payment for the services she would receive, ensuring that she is covered under one form of health insurance or the other.
“The role of the PHC in improving access to healthcare towards the attainment of UHC in a holistic, comprehensive and sustainable manner that would impact on the productive potential of the people for desirous national growth and development of the country.”
