Mediaage NG News – ABUJA, Nigeria (Friday 24th May, 2024)
The Nigerian government is planning on expanding the number of Primary Health Centres (PHC) from 8,300 to 17,000, through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency(NPHCDA) and with the objective of improving health care services across the country.
According to the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, the government has also set aside N260 billion to revitalize the PHC’s facilities,
“There is N260 billion sitting right now at the states’ level. All the states of the federation have been mobilised for the revitalisation of the PHCs, said the Minister, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate, on Friday at the sectoral ministerial press briefing in Abuja to mark the first anniversary of President Bola Tinubu in office.
“When we said we’re going to revitalize our PHCs, the key to doing that is the resources to be available. So, a lot of efforts that have been going on over the months are to mobilise the resources to deploy, with the states having this N260bn in their pockets available”, he added.
He also explained that the government at the national level will provide the states with guidelines for the implementation of the revitalisation and equipment of medical facilities.
“When we disbursed the BHCPF, we do that in public and we would put hotlines for Nigerians to report if any of the resources are being misused. We asked the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to keep an eye on it because the implementation is at the state level, Prof. Pate continued.
“We raised the resources but the states have to implement, but we have to make sure that the resources go to the intended objectives in terms of infrastructure equipment.
“The trainers have been trained in all the states of the federation, and I believe in the next one or two weeks, the training will commence. The guidelines have been revised, and printed and we raise the resources to be able to do that so that over the next three years, at least 120,000 frontline health workers, those who are serving our population in rural areas will have the capability, the skills, in addition to the infrastructure and the equipment that we have provided”.
The Minister also reiterated that President Tinubu is determined to unlock the healthcare value chain and domesticate production capabilities to produce what Nigerians need.
“He approved the presidential initiative to unlock the healthcare value chain in October. Since then, we have made steady progress in terms of unlocking Nigeria’s healthcare value chain.
“The first policy measure is a draft executive order which we have now produced, and finalised, and if the President assents, it would reduce the barriers in terms of import of raw materials, import of equipment for pharmaceuticals and devices so that Nigerians will be able to produce what we need, whether it’s syringes or needles, whether it’s generic pharmaceuticals and also test kits, and long-lasting insecticide-treated nets for malaria.
“We had mentioned that bed nets that we use for malaria are produced outside that, why can’t we produce them here?”
He noted that international investors are coming to indicate interest in producing health and medical products in the country.
“The President has been very effective in marketing Nigeria that we are open for business and drawing foreign direct investment.
“We have seen that in many of the trips that he has taken abroad, and in the health sector, we have seen increasing interest from external investors who are willing to come and produce in Nigeria”.