By: Aisha Mohammed
North East Development Commission, NEDC, says conducting needs assessments in the healthcare sector helps identify gaps in patient care, community health challenges and resource shortages for effective service delivery.
The Adamawa State Coordinator of NEDC, Khalifa Lawal, stated this when he led staff of the Commission’s Health Department on a comprehensive needs assessment tour of the Adamawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency in Yola.
The assessment followed a request by the Agency for the provision of hospital beds, mattresses and other medical equipment for Primary Healthcare facilities across the state.
The NEDC team said the exercise was part of the Commission’s efforts to revitalize the North-East, particularly in advancing Pillar Four of its mandate, which focuses on achieving a healthy citizenry across the region.
The team emphasized the need for facility-level verification to ensure that interventions are based on actual needs and reach facilities where equipment is most urgently required.
Receiving the team, the Chairman of the Adamawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Suleiman Bashir, said the state has 1,070 Primary Healthcare facilities across 226 political wards and 21 Local Government Areas.
He said about 667 facilities provide routine immunization services, while approximately 470 operate 24 hours, providing essential obstetric and newborn care.
Dr. Bashir also highlighted investments by the Adamawa State Government in strengthening Primary Healthcare infrastructure, including the construction and reconstruction of 111 Level II Primary Healthcare facilities, each with a 30-bed capacity.
He added that more than 250 Primary Healthcare facilities had been renovated and upgraded across the state.
Despite these improvements, the assessment identified medical furniture and equipment as major requirements for ensuring that the facilities operate effectively and provide quality healthcare services.
The exercise is expected to provide the NEDC with verified data on equipment gaps across Primary Healthcare facilities and guide decisions on possible interventions.
Both agencies agreed on the need for continued collaboration and evidence based planning to strengthen Primary Healthcare services across Adamawa State.
