Stakeholders advocate for more funding of primary health care service delivery

Stakeholders in the health sector have advocated for effective and quality health care services delivery and better funding for primary health care systems across the country.

This was the main topic of discussion at a 2day stakeholders consultant and interactive meeting organised by the Nigerian Medical Association, Federal Capital Territory, NMA-FCT Chapter, in Abuja,

The  Minister of State FCT, Dr. Ramatu Tijani-Aliyu, who was one of the speakers at the forum, said that the key to ‘Universal Health Coverage” and the Health related Sustainable Development Goals is the Primary Health Care Scheme.

She disclosed that the FCT had commenced the facilitation of the establishment of community PHC managerial structures.

“We are  engaging select communities and ensuring that the Village Health and the Ward Health Committees are properly constituted with members trained with the development of an annual plan and registration by the respective Area Councils as Community Based Health Organizations. This is expected to pave the way to institutionalization of community active participation in health activities from planning, resources mobilization and equitable distribution through implementation, monitoring and evaluation” Dr. Tijani-Aliyu said.

She also said that the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) was being implemented in the FCT using one PHC facility per Ward at the first instance.

“This statutory financing strategy of health care deploys guaranteed quality service provision through the Primary Health Care Gateway and financial access, particularly to the poor, through the Health Insurance Gateway with active community participation in Community PHC managerial structure.

“The BHCPF is not universally implemented right now. However, there are plans to scale up as existing ones firm-up operations” she explained.

The Minister added that for the first time, the annual budgetary provision for PHC in the FCTA has improved in 2021 to about 50% from about the usual 30% of the expected minimum funding for the Scheme.

Forging a partnership

Similarly, the Acting Secretary of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Health and Human Services Secretariat, Dr Mohammed Kawu, stressed the need for partnership to deliver  effective and quality health care at the primary level.

He decried the short fall in staff, infrastructure, exodus of medical personnel abroad and inadequate funding, noting that primary health care centres are the connection between the people and health care.

“We must understand that partnerships are important in the Nigeria’s Health care delivery. Our health system is not where it should be. We must understand that many of our colleagues are leaving the country for greener pasture. We have a crises at hand. The primary health care centres are grossly under staffed”, Dr Kawu said.

Mandatory health insurance

The Secretary General of the National body of the NMA, Dr. Phillips Ekpe appealed to the government to ascent to the bill of Mandatory Health Insurance for all Nigerians. He also called for increase in health insurance awareness campaigns and establishment of more equipped hospitals and primary health centres in the country.

He also commended members of the NMA for their effort in containing the COVID-19 pandemic.

While briefing journalists, the Chairman NMA-FCT, Dr. Enema Amodu said that the meeting is to brainstorm on ways of improving healthcare delivery and accessibility in the FCT.

He reiterated the need for the provision of basic infrastructure and amenities to enable effective delivery of health services at the primary level.

Dr. Amodu disclosed this at the end of the meeting, “It is expected that the stakeholders will come up with sustainable solutions to improve health care at the grass root level in FCT and other communities across the country.

“We have experts drawn across the health sector to do justice, brainstorm and come up with solutions to the problem of primary health care sector. If we strengthen, fund and run the sector as it should be, the health sector will not be over burdened and it will save more lives”.

Training and retraining of heath personnels

One of the highlight of the meeting was a paper presented by Professor Chima Onaka titled ‘Improving Healthcare Delivery and Accessibility in the FCT’ and a paper presented by Dr. Ndaeya Iwot on ‘Strengthening Primary Health’.

Both speakers noted that Health indicators in Nigeria have remained below country targets and international benchmarks including the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs.

They therefore emphasized on the need for better funding, provision of basic infrastructure amenities such as portable water supply, improved living standard of the people in the rural areas and health insurance scheme for all.

The speakers also called for continuous training and retraining of Medical and health personnel and sensitization programmes on sanitation and hygiene in the country.

The theme of the NMA FCT Chapter AGM is ‘Strengthening the Primary Health Care System’.

 

 

 

Emmanuel Ukoh