Assessment of Primary Healthcare Centres for Care of NonCommunicable Diseases in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Non-communicable diseases are the world’s biggest killers with an upward trajectory in the deleterious effect on global  health burden. The aim of this study was to assess the capacity of the primary healthcare centres (PHCs) in the Federal Capital Territory  (FCT) to implement WHO Essential Package for NCDs (WHOPEN)

Methodology: This was a cross-sectional health facility-based survey  conducted in 32 selected PHCs in the FCT. The WHO rapid assessment tool for primary healthcare facility capacity assessment for NCDs  was adapted and used for data collection. Data was analysed using SPSS version 20. Approval for the survey was given by the Federal Ministry of Health.

Result: All the PHCs had at least 2 trained nurses and 6 community health workers. Also, 31% had medical officers  while 71% had laboratory technicians. Basic equipment for NCDs such as weighing scales and sphygmomanometers were available but  only about 50% of the PHCs had glucometers. Devices such as pulse oximeters, peak flow meters, nebulizers, electrocardiographic  machines and blood cholesterol assay kits were unavailable. Oral antidiabetic drugs and insulin were not available in 60-90% of the PHCs.  The most available anti-hypertensives were hydrochlorothiazide and alpha methyldopa. The prevalence of NCDs among the patients was  5.3%. Healthcare was financed by individuals and supported by the local government. None of the centres had a registry.

Conclusion:  Critical gaps were identified in the management of NCDs in PHCs. This will provide the basis for the implementation of strategies to  strengthen PHCs and make WHO-PEN implementable in low-resource settings.