By Iliya Kure
About 3000 women and children less than 5 years die daily from preventable disease in Nigeria despite efforts by government and other stakeholders.
Executive Director of National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib, stated this at the inauguration of a 21-member special committee to organise a national submit on Primary Health Care (PHC) to revamp the PHC system and mobilize needed resources for strengthening of the sector.
A statement by the Agency’s Spokesman, Saadu Salahu, says, the two day summit would also serve as a platform for cross fertilization of ideas arising from relevant stakeholders with responsibility for promoting primary health care in Nigeria.
The Executive Director identified significant gaps in technical coordination, system planning and integrated approach to policy implementation as some of the challenges facing the Agency and its partners in the achievement of its mandate on PHC.
He therefore charged all stakeholders on Primary Health Care to support the Committee for the success of their assignment.
In a remark, Deputy Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Health, Mohammed Usman assured the agency of the support of the National Assembly to the success of the summit, stressing that the House committee had been involved in advocacy to improve PHC.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary FCT primary health care board Mathew Ashikeni expressed great delight in
the agency`s commitment to convening the National Summit on PHC at such a crucial time and pledged the support of all state primary health Boards to the success of the summit.
The 21-member committee for the national PHC Summit is headed by Oladimeji Olayinka, the Director Primary 
Health Care System Development in the Agency.
Members were drawn from NPHCDA, WHO, World Bank, BMGF, UNICEF, MAMAYE Evidence for Action, Preston Health Care Consulting, NGF, Association of Public Health Physicians, Nigeria Medical Association, National Association of Nurses and Midwives, National Association of Community Health Practitioners in Nigeria, Private Sector Health Alliance and other partners.
