By Muhammad Amaan
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) said it has collaborated on Primary Healthcare financing, focusing on three states to improve maternal and child health.
Executive Director of the agency, Dr Muyi Aina, made this known at the closing of the third intervention phase of the Evidence for Action – MamaYe Programme.
The event, which was held in Abuja on Tuesday, marked the National Closeout and Dissemination Meeting of the Evidence for Action – MamaYe Programme – after 12 years of implementation.
The Evidence for Action Programme (E4A-Mamaye), managed by Options Consultancy Limited was established in 2012 by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
FCDO was the Department for International Development.
In 2015, the programme was adopted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and since then, three cycles of intervention phases have been completed.
The project is aimed at improving maternal and newborn health through accountability of state actors in delivering quality services.
The end of this third intervention phase marked the closeout of the E4A-MamaYe programme in Nigeria.
Dr Aina, who was represented by the Head of Knowledge Management at NPHCDA, Dr Obafemi Michael, highlighted the importance of expanding the sample size for a more comprehensive analysis of PHC financing nationwide.
He spoke on the topic: “Delivering Universal Health Coverage through Localisation.”
“Despite limitations, the findings have shown significant improvement in health financing from 2021 to 2023 amidst challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
He outlined the agency’s strategies, emphasising collaboration with local governments and communities.
He said that the agency established presence at the grassroots and was making efforts to enhance funding through initiatives such as the Abuja Declaration.
He highlighted the formation of World Development Committees at the ward level to oversee primary healthcare activities, emphasising community ownership and supervision.
He highlighted the challenge of meeting healthcare financing targets, noting federal government’s role in supporting states.
He emphasised continuous advocacy and support for states to improve budget allocations to the health sector.
He highlighted the role of the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund in supplementing state resources, and emphasised the need for sustained partnerships to achieve healthcare policy objectives.
He outlined NPHCDA’s mechanisms for tracking progress in healthcare provision, including quarterly meetings of State Primary Healthcare Boards and the Phora of Executive Secretaries.
“These platforms facilitate discussions, engagements and tracking of interventions, ensuring effective implementation of healthcare initiatives,” he said.
He emphasised the agency’s commitment to continuous improvement and collaboration with stakeholders.
He reiterated the agency’s commitment to driving impactful healthcare initiatives, including the PHC financing survey conducted by his department.
E4A Mamaye Country Lead, Dr Esther Agbon, shared key achievements of the E4A programme in the country.
“The E4A was driven by evidence from policymakers to make informed decisions to improve maternal and child health outcomes through the SLAMs,” she said.
Agbon said that involvement of government actors as members of SLAMs for data credibility and trust contributed to the success of the E4A MamaYe programme.
According to her, the E4A programme in Nigeria recorded successes in accountability, quality of care improvement, and improved government allocation and releases for maternal and child health.
She said the programme had contributed to overall health system strengthening in supported states.
