Kano and MSP implementation

Since the Alma Ata Declaration, Primary Health Care (PHC) has been adopted by most countries as a key health strategy to ensure greater coverage and equity. Its principles of essential health care that is affordable, accessible, based on practical, scientifically sound and implemented with active community participation in an integrated manner are still relevant to countries and communities globally.

The health system needs reforms to enable it provide an integrated package of services that are not only consistent with the core principles of PHC, but also focus on achieving the global agenda – Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

One of the main issues that needs to be addressed in the Nigerian health system is the weakness of primary health care, which is one of the causes of the slow improvement, stagnation and even deterioration of some of the population’s health outcomes.

Another consequence of weakness of this important level of care is that the PHC system is often bypassed in favour of hospitals and other higher levels which result in congestion of hospitals; thus making it difficult or impossible for them to discharge their responsibilities of managing difficult cases that cannot be handled by the PHC system.

In its effort to take primary health care services closer to the public, the Kano State Government recently launched a policy document called “Minimum Service Package for Primary Health Care in Kano State”, simply MSP, that will reposition the services of health post, health clinic and PHCs in the state for better and more organised services.

The overall goal of the document is to uniformly define for the various levels of primary healthcare the minimum standard (systems, staffing, equipment, service delivery, etc.) required in order to improve access and quality services. It is also intended as a vital tool for effective supervision, monitoring and evaluation and to aid effective planning, development and delivery of PHC services. It is also expected to guide investment in the delivery of PHC services by all stakeholders.

It is also expected to guide investment in the delivery of PHC services and will ultimately result in substantial reduction in morbidity and mortality, as well as significantly contribute to the socioeconomic development of the state at a cost the government and its partners can afford.

The Primary Health Care Management Board is doing its best to see that the objectives of the policy are implemented to their utmost best.

The coordinator of the unit that has been created for the purpose and his team have already done a detailed assessment of PHC facilities in the state, categorising their statuses, and 46 were selected in the first phase for “health facility engagement” to identify the gaps and offer solutions, with the active participation of the communities the facilities are domiciled in.

Members of the team are also being trained on capacity building by Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) for better and realistic work. Many more partners are expected to join and assist this noble effort by training, funding and many others, so that it will succeed and serve as a role model to other states, and even neighbouring countries that share similar challenges.

What is now left for the MSP Team is to do its best and justify the competency and trust expected of its members, and offer great service for the benefit of the general public.

Sani Garba Mohammed, Karaye Local Government Area, Kano State.