New NPHCDA boss assumes office

Dr. Shuaib

Newly-appointed head of National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, has appealed to governors and local government chairmen across the country to emulate the Federal Government in the ongoing revitalisation of primary care facilities across the country.

Shuaib made the call recently while addressing staff of the agency, shortly after he assumed office as the NPHCDA’s Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer at the agency headquarters in Abuja.

He called on primary health care professionals and other stakeholders in the nation’s public health sector to make the best of the “unique opportunity created by President Buhari’s commitment for PHC to ensure effective and efficient primary healthcare delivery to Nigerians particularly in the rural areas,” a statement issued by Head, Public Relations Unit of the agency, Saadu Salahu, said.

In the release, Shuaib advocated a positive change of attitude from staff of the agency and other PHC professionals in favour of transparency, patriotism and corruption-free culture, capable of restoring the nation’s confidence in the leadership of the country’s primary healthcare sub-sector.

He also pledged his commitment to deliver on his mandate, which the statement listed as primary health care revitalisation, PHC under one roof, immunisation and polio – free Nigeria, among others.

It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari announced the appointment of Dr. Faisal Shuaib as the new Executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency on Wednesday 11^th January, 2017.

An experienced public health specialist of over 20 years experience, Dr. Faisal was a senior program officer (Africa) for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) at Seattle, USA.

At the BMGF, Dr. Shuaib was responsible for developing and implementing strategies on polio outbreak response activities in Africa. Prior to joining the foundation, Dr. Shuaib coordinated Nigeria’s successful response to the outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) as the Incident Manager of the Ebola Emergency Operations Centre in 2014.