By Nnedinma Okeke
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has commenced a two day orientation for healthcare workers in Anambra on the implementation of the National Community Food Bank (NCFB) Programme.
The orientation, organised in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Office of the First Lady of Nigeria, began on Sept. 7 at Cardinal Point International Hotel, Awka.
It brings together state and Local Government Area (LGA) healthcare workers and features practical sessions on beneficiary identification, screening, enrolment and the use of the programme’s digital beneficiary platform.
A one day screening and verification exercise for eligible beneficiaries in participating LGAs will follow the orientation.
The Executive Secretary of the Anambra State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ASPHCDA), Dr. Chizoba Prisca Ezeasor, said the initiative was important to maternal and child health, noting that adequate nutrition remained fundamental to the wellbeing of communities.
Ezeasor, while welcoming the NPHCDA team, commended the agency for providing technical guidance and support for the initiative in the state.
“As a Primary Health Care Agency, we have an important responsibility to ensure that this intervention reaches those who genuinely need it.
“Therefore, we must put in place a system that is transparent, accountable, sustainable and capable of identifying the right beneficiaries,” she said.
She urged participants to pay attention to beneficiary mobilisation, screening, enrolment, documentation, commodity management, distribution, reporting and supportive supervision.
“There should be proper documentation at every stage, and we must be able to account for what we receive and distribute,” Ezeasor said.
She added that the intervention would provide an opportunity to identify vulnerable mothers and children, assess their nutritional status, offer appropriate counselling and link them with essential primary healthcare services where necessary.
The executive secretary urged participants to take the orientation seriously, participate actively and seek clarification on areas requiring further understanding to ensure effective delivery at their respective facilities.
The NPHCDA South-East Zonal Director, Dr. Samuel C. Obasi, who represented the agency’s Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Muyi Aina, commended the facilitators for supporting Anambra in establishing and implementing the initiative.
Obasi also appreciated Governor Chukwuma Soludo for the state government’s support and for providing an enabling environment for the intervention.
He described healthcare workers as the “foot soldiers” of healthcare delivery and urged them to apply the knowledge and skills acquired during the orientation in their respective facilities.
The NPHCDA Director of Nutrition, Dr. Adebiyi Olatunde, said the NCFB Programme was a multisectoral initiative designed to improve access to nutritious food among vulnerable households.
Olatunde said the initiative was aimed at alleviating acute food insecurity among vulnerable households with young children through structured, time limited access to nutritious and locally sourced food, while improving nutrition outcomes among beneficiaries.
The orientation also covers commodity management, documentation, reporting and accountability mechanisms required for effective delivery.
Among those at the event were the NPHCDA Assistant Director, Dr. Philippa Odiaka; Senior Nutrition Officer, Mrs. Priscilla Oche; Anambra State Coordinator, Mr. Obioha Agbakwuru; officials of ASPHCDA; LGA healthcare workers and other stakeholders.
Nnedinma Okeke is of the Ministry of Information and Value Reformation, Anambra State
#Ministryofinformationandvaluereformation
#Anambraisrising
#NPHCDA/NCFB #HealthCareWokersOrientation
#Solutionishere
#Solutioncontinues
Good one, was among the trained
Great job