Stakeholders Advocate Adequate Funding of Primary Health Centres
Issues on proper and inadequate budgetary fund for Primary Health Care is the focus of the ongoing Workshop organized by International Budgetary Partnership, IBP,IN in collaboration with Community Development Associations ,Civil Society Organisations, CSOs and Justice, Peace, & Peace Commission, JDPC, in Abuja.
The workshop with the Theme; Problem Analysis Workshop, PHC: Strengthening Public Accountability for Result and Knowledge, SPARK, commenced with an overview of challenges slowing down the proper performance of the Primary Health Care Centres in the country.
Some of the challenges are occasioned by inadequate funding, low level of human capacity and lack of motivation for personnel in sector.
Leading the plenary, a Country representative of International Budgetary Partnership, Mr. Kenny Oleru called on participants to clearly articulate and define the focus and goal of the campaign for the proper funding of Primary Health Care Sector for the benefit of people at the grassroots.
Mr. Oleru encouraged them to also share how they perceive the problems at the PHCCs and also come up with suggestions on how the problems could be tackled headlong towards ensuring effective healthcare delivery at the grassroots.
In introductory remarks, Senior Programme Officer for Democracy and Governance, JDPC, Ibadan, Mr. Jide Bamgbose and Executive Director, ACTHUB, Africa, Mr. Olufemi Olla, agreed that with the current budgetary allocation to the Oyo State Health sector at 11.73 percent, there have been a slight improvement in the PHC budgetary fund.
However, the case was totally different in states like Anambra where Budgetary allocation to the health sector is 2.3 percent and Ogun 5.7 percent in their 2023 Budgets.
According to the spokesperson for JDPC, Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, Mr. Olumide Olaitan, as corroborated by Ogun State Chairman, National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, Mrs. Rosaline Solarin, Primary Healthcare Sector in the state is also being faced with infrastructural deficit and inadequate personnel.
Participants were drawn from different States in the country, including Health Experts, Media Professionals among whom is Pensioners` FM Ibadan, General Manager, Dr. Babatunde Tiamiyu.
The workshop which is an end of the initial project review will end on Friday, tomorrow with group presentations and a communique expected to be issued on how to make Primary Health Care Delivery available and more effective.