Abuja – The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) Secretariat on Friday in Abuja said Nigeria would record major improvement in its primary healthcare services shortly.

Director-General of the secretariat, Dr Asishana Okauru, stated this on Friday at the sideline of a workshop on “Implementation of the Primary Healthcare under One Roof Policy (PHCUORP) organised by the secretariat in Abuja.

Healthcare personnel from the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, during the cancer awareness and enlightening campaign held for market women and men at the Ojuwoye Market, Mushin, Lagos during the 2010 World Cancer day recently. Cancer and HIV/AIDS are two of world’s deadliest diseases

Okauru said that if recommendations from the two-day session, which began on Thursday, were properly implemented the country would record increase in life expectancy and reduction in death rate.

He said that the workshop participants looked at the major challenges facing Primary Health Care (PHC) in the country and recommended the way forward.

“We have been able to look at the major challenges and we have even gone beyond that.

“We are looking at solutions, and in taking clear decisions, we will be meeting quarterly to bring together all the commissioners to share everything with them.

“We equally decided to get the governors more involved, because if you need to address healthcare issues and make positive impact, it is at this level,’’ Okauru said.

He said that the workshop was also able to look into how to properly address the issue of finance, especially the proper usage of available fund to develop primary healthcare in the country.

“Health care is at the heart of a number of things. It is not only the number of high-rises that we have, but also includes basic things that should be attended to.

“Any money spent on healthcare is not expenditure; it is an investment.

“Beyond adequate finance, we have to look at what is being spent. There are lots of linkages; things are not done properly and we are not spending correctly.

“If we were to put money in initiative “A’’ and you put it on “C’’, you are going to have some challenges; all that will be addressed at the end of this workshop.’’

Participants of the workshop included NGF officials, Executive Secretaries of states’ PHC agencies and boards as well as development partners in the health sector.