The federal government has reiterated its commitment towards mapping out programmes and policies that will enhance effective service delivery in the healthcare sector.
Director of Reproductive Health, Federal Ministry of Health Dr. kayode Afolabi stated this during an orientation and data quality assessment meeting with Kano state family health stakeholders on national self care held in kano.
He said self care involves some basic diagnostic and treatment that could be done at home and community level before linkage to primary care facility.
Dr. Afolabi explained that Kano state is strategically positioned for self care orientation and implementation due to its high population and which would ensure universal health coverage to every Nigerian irrespective of ethno-religion background.
” Self care is simply making every individual to be responsible to his health and broadly speaking it includes ensuring that individual has awareness as to what his health is and what needs to be done at the right time”
Also speaking, the Country Director Pathfinder international in Nigeria Dr. Amina Aminu Dorayi maintained that self care is a very important step towards improving access and quality of sexual and reproductive health services.
She noted that with healthcare systems now generally over stretched due to the covid 19 pandemic, self care provides an innovative approach to reduce pressure on strained health systems, improve health outcomes particularly for the most vulnerable and empower individuals.
“Self care allows people to become agents of their health,leading to improved outcomes,especially in sexual and reproductive health where stigma,distance or overburdened healthcare facilities may prevent them from seeking care”
Earlier in his remarks,Director public health and disease control Kano state ministry of health Dr. Ashiru Rajab described the initiative in Kano as a welcome development.
He added that ,government at all levels have been trying to increase the level of contraceptive prevalence rate which is very low.
Abdullahi Jalaluddeen