First 2025 Quarterly Press Conference
The National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) held its first quarterly press conference for the year on the 22nd of April as part of its accountability and regular updates to Nigerians on ongoing efforts to strengthen the PHC system.
The quarterly press conference provides an opportunity to report on the agency’s strategic blueprint aimed at ensuring every Nigerian has access to equitable, accessible, affordable, and quality healthcare services through a PHC system they trust.
It is a platform to regularly engage the fourth realm of the estate (journalists) to keep Nigerians informed about milestones achieved and ongoing efforts to better serve communities with primary healthcare services.
Dr. Muyi Aina, ED NPHCDA, in his keynote address, provided insights on the revitalization of PHCs across Nigeria; maternal and child mortality reduction innovation and initiative; improved service delivery and efforts to ensure that no child is left behind in receiving complete immunization doses.
Some Key highlights include,
- The agency’s goal is to have at least one functional PHC per ward (defined as a PHC able to safely deliver a pregnant woman 24 hours a day) across the country.
- in less than a year, retraining of 60,470 frontline Health Workers of the proposed 120,000 across 36 states
- increased utilization of primary health care centers with over 20 million patient encounters across the PHC centers per quarter.
- Procurement of essential medicines for distribution to these priority primary health care centers.
- Maternal care and reproductive commodities that have been hitherto underfunded are now receiving more resources, as well as specific innovative commodities targeting reducing maternal mortality that have been procured
- getting Over 6 million children were fully vaccinated against vaccine-preventable diseases in 2024.
The press conference was also an opportunity to announce the commencement of the 2025 African Vaccination Week with the theme “Immunization for All Is Humanly Possible. This aligns with the NPHCDA vision of leaving no child behind.
Furthermore, Dr. Muyi shares ongoing efforts in collaboration with partners to ensure that immunization doses reach hard-to-reach communities.
“… we are collaborating with the states and security agencies to ensure immunization and other PHC services reach our people in hard-to-reach areas.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) Country Rep, Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo represented by Dr. Eshetuwase in his goodwill message spoke about how vaccines have saved millions of lives over 5 decades
“We now have vaccines to prevent more than 20 life-threatening diseases. Over the last 50 years, essential vaccines have saved at least 54 million lives; that is 6 lives every minute, every day for 5 decades.”
While also speaking about the importance of safeguarding the health of children under – 5 to prevent childhood diseases and mortality, Ms. Cristian Munduate, Country Rep, UNICEF Nigeria, in her goodwill message, stated that, “Immunization is the best public health investment.”
Dr. Muyi enjoined all stakeholders and the media to join the agency in promoting PHC services, especially to address vaccine hesitancy and misinformation.
“As we commemorate the 2025 African Vaccination Week, I urge all stakeholders to join NPHCDA and partners to consolidate on the gains we are making. Particularly, we would like to ask the media to engage with us more and help identify and address wrongful information and to also serve as our ears and the mouthpiece of Nigerians to give us feedback to rapidly improve our immunization coverage and other PHC services for a healthier Nigeria.”