From Agaju Madugba, Katsina
The Federal Government has said it would increase the number of primary healthcare centres nationwide from the current 1800 to 17000 by 2027.
Speaking yesterday in Katsina, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, described the move as part of government’s transformative infrastructure for training, service delivery and community resilience.
He spoke in a message he sent at the fifth annual delegates meeting and general conference of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA).
The Minister, who was represented by the Chief Medical Director, Federal Teaching Hospital, Dr Suleiman Bello, praised the theme of the conference, “Universal Applicability of Care Standards for Patients and the Wellbeing of Healthcare Providers,” as relevant to Nigeria’s current healthcare landscape.
He said: “Care standards provide the architecture for consistent, measurable and accountable service delivery.
“They define the outcomes we seek, the pathways to achieve them and the ethics that must underpin every medical encounter.”
The Minister noted that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare inaugurated the National Tertiary Health Institutions Standards Committee, a statutory body under the National Health Act with the task of defining and enforcing minimum standards in federal tertiary hospitals.
In his address, Governor Dikko Umar Radda urged members of the NMA to engage in constructive dialogue with the government and other stakeholders to drive quality healthcare service.
Radda pledged unwavering support for medical professionals and outlined specific interventions his administration has implemented since assumption of office in 2023.
According to him, “I want to take this opportunity to assure you of my government’s commitment to supporting the initiatives of NMA.
“We recognise the importance of collaboration between the government and medical associations in advancing healthcare delivery in Katsina and across Nigeria.
“The government is improving the healthcare infrastructures for optimum healthcare delivery.
“This includes upgrading seven comprehensive health centres to the status of general hospitals, commissioning of ultra-modern 16-bed dialysis centre, ultra-modern imaging centre and diagnostic centre underway, as well as construction of pharmaceutical production, among others.”