Nigeria’s primary healthcare centres in dismal state – Group

A non-governmental organization, Public and Private Development Centre, on Tuesday in Abuja presented a dismal picture of the state of primary health care infrastructure in Nigeria from its inspection of facilities in seven states across the country.

The organization had carried out findings on the performance of contracts for the construction of primary health care centres in Benue, Delta, Kano, Lagos, Oyo, Osun and Ogun States that were awarded in 2014.

The chief executive officer of the organisation, Seember Nyager, at a press briefing to report on the findings, said the operational status of the centres her group visited ranged from non-functioning, abandoned construction, and absence of buildings at given addresses.

She said the active ones also faced significant challenges of staffing, supplies and weak infrastructure.

State government officials present at the event said a common problem was lack of synergy between the federal, state and local governments in the area of communal needs assessment and staffing.

The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Legislative Compliance, Olasupo Adeola, said while the output of Nigerian doctors at the tertiary level was impressive, they were being overburdened by cases that should have been taken care of at the primary health care centres.

Mr. Adeola, who is also a member of the House Committee on Health Institutions, however reassured participants of his commitment to rectifying issues at the primary health care level.

The Public and Private Development Centre is a non-governmental organization involved in citizens’ engagement in public and private sector processes.

Present at the press briefing were members of the House of Representatives, and officials from the Health Department of Bwari Area Council, Osun state Primary Health Care / Disease Control, and Oyo State Primary Health Care Development Agency.