Health Care Delivery: Experts, CSOs Set Agenda for el-Rufai
Adams Agbo, Kaduna
In order to proffer solution to the lingering health challenges in Kaduna State, Healthcare experts and Civil Society Organizations working under the Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health at Scale, PACFaH@Scale in collaboration with the Kaduna State University, (KASU) and the Open Government Partnership, (OGP), have asked that the administration of Governor Nasir el-Rufai to truly prioritise the implementation of Primary Health Care Under One Roof, (PHCUOR), as the surest way to attainment of Universal Health Coverage in the state.
This call was made by experts and civil society organizations during the 2019 International Conference on contemporary issues in social science research at the Kaduna State University on Thursday.
The lead presenter who is also the project director of IIGES-PACFaH@Scale Project in Kaduna state, Mallam Mustapha Jumare, while presenting the findings of the 255 PHCs assessment said that the ongoing renovation of the 255 primary health centres in the state and the review of the 2019 health budget, showed significant non-compliance to policy requirements needed to catapult the attainment of the universal health coverage for citizens of the state.
He said non release of timely budget allocation and inability of the state primary healthcare board to include primary health care under the state’s primary health care board has become a serious challenge to the healthcare delivery in the state.
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Mallam Jumare raises the issue of under staffed primary health care centres (PHCs), and inability of the PHCs in the state to operate 24 hours service as a bottleneck to adequate healthcare delivery in the state.
“Kaduna state government in the 2019 budget allocated the sum of N2,462,570, 274 for PHCs renovation/upgrading and construction in the state, also N15,985,600 for furnishing of the three zonal cold stores at Zaria, Kafanchan and Kaduna and N550,000,000 as counterpart funding. Mallam Mustapha Jumare further said that no fund have been released since January this year for implementation of the project in the state.
The IIGES-PACFaH@Scale project director also complained of poor funding of the state primary health care board by the government in the state.
In the 2019 budget, allocation for the State Primary Health Care Board SPHCB was N907,386,915, but only so N16,757,641representing 8 per cent for recurrent expenditure has been released. “This amount is grossly inadequate to fund the activities of SPHCB, the coordinator explained.
According to him, “Issues bordering on key requirements for PHCUOR implementation at state and sub state levels are not captured in the SPHCB laws. Malaria, HIV/AIDs and TBL programmes were not captured in the laws establishing the SPHCB.”
Jumare revealed that from the 255 PHCs shortage of personnel is one of the major challenges being faced. He explained that from the assessment, 130 (53%) have a medical doctor or community health officer (CHO) available and about 18 (7%) have the recommended four nurses/midwives, while, 170 (70%) have at least three Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs).
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“143 (59%) have at least one laboratory technicians whilst 23 (9%) have six Junior Community Health Extension Workers (JCHEWs), with 122 (50%) having one Environmental Health Officer (EHO). He explained that only 159 of the PHCs assessed have two health attendants, while a total of 18 (7%) of these have pharmacists/ technicians. Despite the importance of security in protecting lives and property, only ten (4%) of at least two security personnel. In addition, only five (2%) of these PHCs have general maintenance staff.”
In his presentation, Dr. James Akpokos of the Department of Sociology, Kaduna State University, charged the state government to invest in the health sector as a panacea to the ongoing socioeconomic challenges facing the state.
He added that with adequate funding of the health sector, the state will be in the best position to deliver the needed dividends of democracy.
A professor of Community Medicine at Kaduna State University, Dr. Nambam Omole, urged academics to provide solutions to the various challenges facing the health sector, adding that research is the backbone of national development worldwide.
In his response, the Executive Secretary of the State Primary Healthcare Agency, Mr. Hamza Abubakar disclosed that the state is yet to receive its operational cost of the BHCPF.
