Abuja (Nigeria) – The Federal Government of Nigeria has set up a committee to ascertain the number and locations of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) available across the country, and also to determine how many are functional or otherwise for its rehabilitation.
Statement by the Director of press, Federal Ministry of Health, Boade Akinola, noted that the Minister of Health Isaac Adewole said the government through the ministry is planning to have a “one Primary Healthcare Centre per Ward Programme”, where each political ward in the country would have at least one functional Primary Healthcare Centre.
While inaugurating the committee on Tuesday in Abuja, the Minister stated that the Federal Government plans to rehabilitate 10,000 Primary Healthcare Centres within two years.
The committee is to be chaired by Michael Asuzu, a Professor of Public Health and Community Medicine from the University of Ibadan, Oyo State; its secretary is from the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) and has 11 other members.
The committee’s terms of reference include; To conduct the mapping of all PHCs in the country, using available resources and data from all relevant departments, MDAs and other stakeholders; To determine the functionality of PHCs in every political ward in the country; To determine services availability in each of the PHCs in every political ward – human resources and equipment; and to propose strategies for strengthening referral systems between PHCs and higher hospitals in a given geographical area.
In his response, Chairman of the Committee said that the committee would work in accordance to the terms of reference given to them, adding that they will perform the assignment diligently.
