BY AHMED TAHIR, Lafia Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) is set to revolutionise primary healthcare delivery at the third tier of government.
The body has convened a strategic meeting with the Development Partners Group for Health (DPG-H) Nigeria on the way to achieve this objective.
ALGON’s national president, Aminu Mua’zu Maifata, said at the meeting that the association was building the capacity of local governments to actualise their constitutional responsibilities, focusing on primary healthcare and basic education.
“This gathering marks a significant milestone in ALGON’s quest to redefine the landscape of primary healthcare delivery at the grassroots,” he stated.
He said the meeting aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 aimed at ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all, especially at the grassroots level.
“The recent Supreme Court judgment on local governments has set the stage for this transformative journey. The multi-stakeholder meeting brought together development partners for direct funding, members from the World Health Organisation (WHO), civil society organizations (CSOs), Health Sector Reform Coalition, the private sector, and the Guild of Medical Doctors to develop a roadmap and strategy for positioning primary healthcare services a critical component of development, particularly in rural areas.
“ALGON’s commitment to effective and efficient health coverage of all communities in Nigeria aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ and the Health Sector Investment Programme and SWAP. This initiative will strengthen the implementation of the World Health framework, supporting research and development, capacity building and prevention, as well as reduction of mortality.
“As ALGON embarks on this all-encompassing journey, the association is poised to revitalise and operationalise its primary healthcare programme, ensuring standardisation, excellence and sustainability in service delivery through continuous monitoring, and evaluation across local governments and area councils,” Maifata said.
