*Call for Adequate Funding for Primary Healthcare Centers By Awwal Umar Kontagora Healthcare stakeholders across the country are advocatin...
*Call for Adequate Funding for Primary Healthcare Centers
By Awwal Umar Kontagora
Healthcare stakeholders across the country are advocating for increased inclusion of women in the management of Primary Health Care Centers (PHCCs) to enhance effective service delivery. They are also urging for adequate funding for these centers to help achieve the country's universal health coverage goals, which they argue remain far from being realized.
These calls were part of the resolutions made at a recent two-day capacity-building workshop for Ward Development Committees (WDCs) and Officers in Charge (OICs) on Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) financial management and business plan development. The event was organized by the Federation of Muslim Women’s Association in Nigeria (FOMWAN) Niger State Chapter, in partnership with the Niger State Ministry for Primary Healthcare.
The workshop, which gathered participants from primary healthcare centers across Niger State, aimed to address weak financial oversight and build capacity for timely retirement of BHCPF funds in the state's healthcare facilities.
Stakeholders noted that approximately 90% of those utilizing primary healthcare facilities are women, emphasizing the importance of including more women in the WDCs that oversee these centers for better service delivery.
They argued that women are typically more resourceful managers, a quality essential to the success of PHCCs. They maintained that greater female representation in the management of these facilities would not only strengthen primary healthcare but also promote gender equality.
In his presentation, Mr. Isah Adamu of the Niger State Health Agency discussed the need for revising the National Primary Health Care Development Board (NPHCDB) policy to mandate a minimum of 40% female composition within WDCs. He also emphasized the need for inclusive representation of marginalized groups to improve maternal health outcomes, stressing that "this will aid in achieving universal health coverage."
Mallam Abubakar Musa, also of the state health agency, highlighted funding deficiencies as a major challenge for primary healthcare facilities. In his talk, “Financial Management Oversight for WDCs,” Musa underscored the importance of efficient financial management at PHCs, noting that while budget allocations remain insufficient, available funds are often mismanaged.
Workshop participants unanimously agreed that federal basic healthcare funds frequently end up misappropriated, which has hindered progress toward universal health coverage. They called for increased funding for healthcare centers, citing the unfulfilled Abuja Declaration of a 10% annual budget allocation for healthcare by state governments.
Hajiya Kulu Abdullahi, Niger State Coordinator of FOMWAN, the workshop’s organizing body, encouraged participants to apply the knowledge gained to enhance the functioning of primary healthcare centers in the state.
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