Posted on: Tue 30-08-2022

The National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) has urged state governments to provide more incentives for healthcare workers to enable them work effectively as well as improve access to primary healthcare services at the grassroots.

Executive Director, NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, who gave the advice, yesterday, during the inspection of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in Ibadan, Oyo State, said inadequate skilled members of staff and lack of essential drugs were some of the major factors discouraging access to primary healthcare in the country.

He said: “The governors are trying but I will implore them to increase the number of health workers in the primary healthcare centres. In some states, we will see a situation where there are no adequate human resources, well-trained and respectful health workers to attend to patients. This is our priority at the federal level to see how we can work with the states and sub-national level to see that when Nigerians go to the hospital, they get good treatment and improve the quality of healthcare.

“The agency centres around accountability and not only should we look at what is not working well, but what is working effectively. We should not only sanction those not doing their work but we should also reward those who have been effective as regards their work.

“We are to encourage them that Nigerians in general appreciate them concerning the outstanding work they have been doing in the health sector.”

Shuaib, while commending efforts of the state team on how they have been working effectively concerning the immunisation of adults and children, urged Oyo State government to spend money on facilities and that the administration should also focus more on revitalisation of health centres.

He advised that they should at least have one functional primary healthcare per political wards, saying: “The Federal Government in the last four years has innovated about 4,000 primary healthcare centres but it’s not just the innovation we want to achieve, but to work with the sub-national level that health workers are recruited into this facilities and go through a period training that will help them deliver quality healthcare services.”

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