Members of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency paid a courtesy visit to the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria, PSHAN on Tuesday, October 26th 2021.On the table of discussion were matters relating to the situation of health in the country and the transformative agenda of the agency within the primary healthcare space
While welcoming his guests, The Chief Executive Officer of the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria, Dr. Tinuola Akinbolagbe explained that the role of PSHAN is principally to be the go-to business-led platform that mobilizes resources and capabilities, and leverages same to improve Nigeria’s healthcare system through Public Private Partnerships. According to her, the private sector has been more actively involved in the provision of medical services in recent years, citing the successful arrangement in the past.
She however admonished her guests to be painstaking in following through all necessary steps for a successful PPP. In her words, ‘patience is required to develop projects through the stages of PPP. Patience is also required to access private sector funds’.
Speaking earlier, the Director of programmes at the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Ogbe, listed the mandate of the agency to include the provision and regulation of primary healthcare centres across the country. According to him, the agency also partners states and Local Government Councils in providing basic health services through advocacy at the grassroot level. He disclosed that the NPHCDA had set up a PPP unit within the agency and solicited the support of PSHAN in the area of expertise and capacity building for the unit. According to him, among the recent milestones achieved by his agency is the successful handling of the corona virus pandemic and the remarkable feat of achieving a full year without a recorded case of polio in the country.
While soliciting the cooperation of PSHAN in getting the private sector to invest in the provision of mobile clinics and primary healthcare centres, he disclosed that there are currently about 400 functional healthcare centres across the country that would benefit from private sector intervention in the provision and operation of the facilities.
