She said Wuse and Central ward of the nation’s capital was in urgent need of primary Health Care Centres especially as some hospitals have been designated for the treatment of coronavirus patients.

The Special Assistant on Media to the Minister, Mr Austen Elemue, in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, said Aliyu made the call when the Executive Director of NPHCDA, Dr Faisal Shuaib and other management staff of the agency paid her a courtesy visit.

The minister also stressed that the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) accords urgent attention to primary health care sector to rejuvenate service provision to the residents who need it most.

Aliyu used the occasion to acknowledge the importance of the primary health care response at this critical period of the COVID-19 outbreak.

She maintained that the FCT response to the pandemic would be total and focused.

Aliyu also called for technical support of the FCT primary healthcare board in the areas of Mobile and Outreach strategy for PHC scheme implementation by way of Integrated Medical Outreach Programme (I-MOP) to strengthen immunisation and PHC programmes in the FCT.

“The FCT response to the pandemic is total and focused. We are giving attention to the PHC sector for rejuvenation and service provision to the residents who need it most.

“With partnership, we believe a lot more would be achieved within this first phase of strategic period, adopting national programmes and interventions for results particularly in maternal and child health services,” she said.

Earlier in his remarks, Shuaib, commended the FCT administration for the combative posture in the battle against covid-19 outbreak in the territory.

He expressed optimism that the country would be victorious at the end of the day and prayed that the covid-19 pandemic do not extend to community spread that could further overstretched the primary healthcare facilities in the country.

Shuaib noted that if the virus spreads to community level, it would be the greatest test of how functional the nation’s primary healthcare centres are.

He used the occasion to appeal to the FCT Administration to confirm the Acting Executive Secretary of the Primary Healthcare Board or appoint a substantive secretary in line with the guidelines and protocols of the primary healthcare.

According to him, FCT remains the only area, which has the status of a state, in the federation without a substantive secretary