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The Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Muyi Aina
The Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Muyi Aina, says the agency has earmarked a sum of N254 million to boost Primary Health Care delivery in Enugu state.
Aina announced the fund late Friday evening when he led the NPHCDA’s partners, the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Children’s Fund and a delegation from his agency on a courtesy visit to Governor Peter Mbah in his office.
In his remarks, Aina commended Mbah for his administration’s prompt implementation of the Federal Government policies in the health sector in the state, adding that he came to seek a continuous partnership with the state government on the development of Primary Health Care in the state.
Aina said, “We completed the assessment of 253 facilities in the state, and the sum of N254 million has been earmarked as part of the basic care provision fund to support the state.
“I must also commend your administration for recruiting 450 health workers and building 260 primary health care centres across the 260 wards in the state, as well as being the only Governor in Nigeria that was prompt in releasing the counterpart fund.
“On this, your state will fully benefit from the ongoing revitalisation of the Primary Healthcare Centres across the country by the federal government.”
He, however, added that more Primary Healthcare facilities in Enugu will benefit from the agency’s increased allocation, “Direct Facility Financing,” adding that 3,063 health workers from Enugu State would be retrained.
The Executive Director appealed to the governor to absorb health workers who were still casual workers across the state.
Responding, Mbah assured his administration’s readiness to align with the Sustainable Development Goals programs, saying, “We want to align ourselves with all the indications under the SDGs, whether they are on infant mortality rate, maternal mortality rate, we should be able to fit into these goals and achieve them by 2030.”
The governor noted that if poverty and hunger should be eradicated in society, they must get education and health in place to be able to achieve long-term poverty eradication and zero hunger.
Welcoming the intervention, Mbah assured partnership with the Federal Government.
He however disclosed that his administration would have still built more health facilities in the state if the FG had not intervened.
He said that staff quarters would be built in each of the 260 Type 2 health centres with the installation of solar lights and provision of portable water, adding that the aim was to ensure that workers would work round the clock, be available for those who access the primary health care centres.
He announced the accreditation of the Enugu State College of Nursing Sciences with multiple campuses in the state, disclosing that the State Government, will build more facilities in some of the existing Nursing Colleges to be able to take in all trainees.
Governor Mbah said he will institutionalise Primary Health Care, adding that his administration has put modalities in place to ensure Universal Health coverage in the state.
