Soji Ajibola, Ibadan
The Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, (NPHCDA), Faisal Shaibu, has disclosed that over 40m Nigerians across the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory, Abuja are yet to be vaccinated with Covid-19 jabs.
Briefing newsmen after the tour Primary Healthcare Centres in Oyo state, Shaibu said the figures of the people who are yet to be vaccinated is worrisome despite the fact that the jabs is free and effective.
He noted that some people are after collecting the covid-19 jabs through the backdoor rather than subjecting themselves to be vaccinated
He disclosed that he was not unaware of the reported racketeering in the Agency but assured the people that they would soon get to the root of the matter.
“In the last couple of weeks, we have actually made some arrest and the investigation is ongoing on the matter.
“We will soon find out the personalities behind the ignoble act and bring them to book.
“We are maintaining our stand on zero tolerance to people who want to get the cards without taking jabs despite the fact that it is safe free and effective.” He said
The director who commended the efforts of Governor Seyi Makinde led administration ón what he described as strict compliance with Integration COVID 19 advocated establishment of the PHCs in all the political wards in the Country.
He disclosed that the Federal government had in the past four years renovated 4,000 PHCs across the Country and advocated enough manpower to man the facilities
“The governors are doing so well and I will also implore government to increase the number of health workers in the primary health care.
“In a number of states, we have seen a situation where we don’t have adequate Human Resources, especially trained and respectful health workers that will attend to the patients when they come to the hospital.
“Our utmost priority at the federal level is to see how we can work with the state and sub national level to see that when Nigerians go to the hospital, they get good treatment and improve the quality of health care services.
“We can see Oyo state is trying to recruit more people into the primary health centres.
“As far as primary health care is concerned nationally, we are doing better than we use to, a few years ago because we are able to understand exactly what the requirements are. We should spend money on facilities needed than spending money on infrastructure.
“We understood that we have to focus on revitalizing health centres, find our workers so they can be motivated to do their jobs well.
“That is why we have ambition to have at least have one functional primary health care per political wards.
“The Federal Government in the last four years has innovated about 4,000 primary health centers. It is not just the innovation we want to achieve, but to also work with the sub national level that health workers are recruited into this facilities and go through a period training that will help them deliver quality health care services.”