Implementation of Non-communicable Diseases Interventions in Primary Health Care Facilities and at the Community Level in Nigeria: A call to Action and Partnership

Abstract

The burden of Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) is on a steady rise in many developing countries, including Nigeria. There are proven population and individual-based cost-effective interventions adopted by the World Health Organization (WHO) for prevention and control of NCDs at the primary health care (PHC) facilities and the community level. Gaps exist in the country’s health system, hindering the implementation of essential NCDs interventions at the PHC and community levels. The Nigerian Federal Government has acknowledged the high prevalence of many NCDs and the risk factors, and taken steps to address this challenge, including the launch of eight national policy and guideline documents on NCDs. Document analysis was done to identify important areas for partnership and collaboration by the WHO, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMHSW), states’ Primary Health Care Development Agencies (states’ PHCDAs), and non-governmental organizations focused on NCDs in Nigeria. There is an urgent call for the implementation of the WHO package of essential NCD interventions in the PHC facilities and community level across Nigeria. Finally, a case example is made for an institutional support to Ekiti State, South-West Nigeria, a sub-national unit in the country, and an additional five other states, each from five remaining geopolitical zones, for an eighteen-month pilot implementation of essential interventions for prevention and control of NCDs based on three criteria. This could be scaled up across Nigeria following a review of the success and lessons learnt from the implementation of these NCDs interventions in the pilot states.