FCTA CONVENS FIRST JOINT ANNUAL REVIEW FOR HEALTH SECTOR

By: Doris Jonah

In a bid to assess performance across key strategic health pillars, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has convened its first ever Health Sector Joint Annual Review (JAR) Performance Dialogue alongside other states of the Federation.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the two days event, the Mandate Secretary FCT Health Services and Environment Secretariat (HSES) Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe said that it is an August occasion because “JAR is a critical aspect of governance framework which will provide a unique opportunity for all stakeholders to evaluate progress, identify bottlenecks and recommend actionable solutions in line with the health sector strategic blueprint and the National Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) aimed at dismantling systematic barriers and strengthening healthcare delivery across Nigeria”.

The Mandate Secretary HSES who was represented at the event by the Acting Director General FCT Hospitals Management Board (HMB) Dr. Abubakar Ahmadu further stated that the objectives of JAR are very precise to enable dialogues that will review strength, challenges and approaches suitable for each state of the Federation in order to significantly improve Nigeria health system.

In her words “performance dialogue as a structured platform will ensure accountability through interrogation of health data, shared best practices, confront challenges and bottlenecks militating against the health sector to proffer solutions to these challenges” thus; she urged participants to exercise openness, rigour and resolve during deliberations.

Furthermore, Fasawe mentioned that the review will be drawn across key strategic health pillars peculiar to FCT in the area of improving maternal and child health, accelerating immunization and combating non-communicable diseases to expand financial protection and enhancing pandemic preparedness while complimenting existing efforts of FCTA.

Also, the Permanent Secretary HSES Dr. Baba Gana Adam in his remarks stated that as a model to other states of the federation, FCTA is committed to making meaningful dialogues that will proffer and tackle existing challenges in the FCT Health Sector in order to improve healthcare and overall well-being of the public in line with best practices across the world.

As such, the Permanent Secretary HSES who was represented by the Acting Director Public Health Department Dr. Dan Gadzama called for reviews capable of yielding positive outcomes that will address FCT Health Sector challenges and that of Nigeria at large as both the Federal Government and FCT is committed to providing needed resources to improve healthcare in Nigeria.

Moreso, the Technical Assistant to the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare on Sector Wide Approach (SWAP) coordinating office Dr. Ashiru Adamu Abubakar in his keynote address said that it is the responsibility of government to provide quality healthcare at all levels (Primary, Secondary and Tertiary) through the National Health Act provisions of building one national health.

Earlier, the FCT SWAP Desk Officer Dr. Teresa Nwachukwu mentioned that the objectives of the maiden JAR are to “Evaluate the FCT health sector performance in 2024 and first two quarters of 2025 on key indicators and progress against set milestones in alignment with the NHSRII and SWAP framework, collaboratively brainstorm innovative solutions to address ongoing health and health related challenges as well as disseminate best practices from the FCT exemplars and fostering peer learning”.

Among some of the key pillars and indicators for JAR are; improve reproduction, maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition, accelerate immunization programmes for priority antigens, slow prevalence of non-communicable diseases, reduce the incidence of HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria, improve quality of care and service delivery in Primary Health Care Centers, expand financial protection and others.