Buhari launches CHIPS next Tuesday

President Muhammadu Buhari is to flag off on February 6 in Lafia the Community Health Influencers, Promoters and Services (CHIPS) programme.

CHIPS is meant to boost health workforce at health centres serving rural areas, according to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency.

The agency has revealed plan to have the formal launch of CHIPS on the president’s agenda on a planned working state visit to Nasarawa.

The agency’s executive director, Dr Faisal Shuaib, said CHIPS is aimed at improving access and equitable coverage to essential health services, with focus on maternal, new born and child survival.

CHIPS is also meant to pull down barriers that prevent people from accessing primary health care services, link health workers to rural, under-served communities, tackle delays in decision to seek care, reaching point of care and receiving adequate service.

It is a major milestone since the presidency last year launched a move to revitalise primary health care, where the president declared, ““We shall focus more on the people living in the rural areas and the vulnerable population in our society such as women, children five years of age and the elderly in collaboration with national and international partners.”