By Isaac Olufemi Ojo
IBADAN – In a bid to strengthen grassroots healthcare delivery and enhance community-led monitoring, the Family Counselling Centre (FCC), in partnership with the Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), has intensified its advocacy efforts through strategic engagement with local health authorities.
The initiative, which aims to improve the quality of medical and physical health services at the local government level, saw a delegation from the two organizations pay an advocacy visit to the Medical Officer of Health (MOH) for Ido Local Government Area, Dr. Augustina Orimoloye.
The meeting, held at the Ido LGA MOH’s office situated within the Ido Primary Health Care Center, was attended by key stakeholders, including the Executive Director of FCC, Mrs. Titilade Ogunkunle; the NEPWHAN State Coordinator, Mr. Olawale Faith-Abiola; the State’s Program /M&E Officer, Mr. Olatokunbo Famiyesin; and other project officials.
Speaking during the visit, Mr. Faith-Abiola explained that the engagement was designed to familiarize the local health authority with the ongoing Community-Led Monitoring (CLM) project, which is supported by the Global Fund.
He noted that the project focuses on three primary health areas: HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis. According to him, the CLM model is designed to empower community members to take ownership of their health facilities.
“The project empowers community members to monitor healthcare delivery. When issues are identified, they are resolved at the local level if possible, or escalated to the state authority if they require higher-level intervention,” Faith-Abiola stated.
During the session, the FCC team drew attention to critical challenges identified at the Apete Primary Health Care Center. Damilola Ogunkunle highlighted that the facility is currently grappling with infrastructure decay and a shortage of essential manpower.
Mrs. Titilade Ogunkunle, the Executive Director of FCC, emphasized that the visit was imperative to foster a collaborative relationship with the LGA health leadership.
She noted that sustained cooperation between the NGOs and local authorities is essential to achieving the project’s objectives.
In her response, Dr. Orimoloye commended the FCC and NEPWHAN teams for their proactive approach to grassroots health advocacy.
She pledged the full cooperation of her office to ensure the success of the CLM project within the local government area.
Addressing the specific concerns raised regarding the Apete PHC, Dr. Orimoloye assured the team that efforts are already underway to address both the infrastructure deficit and the staffing challenges to ensure the facility meets the required standards for effective service delivery.
