A group of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have decried the poor state of some Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs) in Nasarawa State.
The CSOs said this at a media roundtable to review the implementation of thier intervention aimed at improving the quality of infrastructure and manpower at PHCs in the state
The meeting held on Thursday in Lafia.
CSOs were collectively implementating the Nigeria Resilient and Sustainable System for Health (RSSH) project aims at bettering service delivery at PHCs in Nassarawa state.
It is a globally funded project aimed at strengthening and expanding the capacity of Nigeria’s Health System to combat tuberculosis, malaria and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
Speaking at the meeting, Mrs Patience Samson, State Programme Officer of RSSH, said that the project is being implemented in five Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.
She explained that 15 Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) were engaged and currently working in the five LGAs, which comprised of Lafia, Doma, Akwanga, Keffi and Karu respectively.
She decried the myriad of challenges were currently confronting various PHCs in the affected LGAs.
“Some of the problems include, lack of beds in delivering rooms, doors in some PHCs, parameter fencing, access to usable water, inadequate seats, dilapidated structures, inadequate manpower, among others.
“We have paid advocacy visits to the Ministry for Health and Primary Healthcare Development Agency; we have also tabled these issues before all relevant authorities.
“We have engaged stakeholders in the affected communities on the need to take ownership of these facilities and mobilise resources to tackle some of the challenges.
“It will interest you to know that through this method, renovation work were carried out and some of the facilities provided.
“Government also responded by employing some casual staff and deploying them to these communities, but more is needed to cover other areas that are still in dire need of these facilities,” Samson said.
On her part, Mrs Mary Ashingayin, the Coordinator of Malaria Network in the state, described the project as a ‘unique’ one, adding that it focuses on ensuring community participation toward improving healthcare service delivery in the respective communities.
She added that the programme in the last one year of its implementation had achieved a lot, particularly in providing adequate structures toward ensuring sustainability through community ownership
Also speaking, Dr. Madawa Abbolum, Director of Community and Family Health Services in state’s primar healthcare development agency, commended the group for complementing government efforts toward improving healthcare services in the state.
He explained that the quality of healthcare delivery is among the top priorities of the Gov. Abdullahi Sule-led administration.
He expressed government readiness to partner any group toward meeting the health needs of the citizenry.
He said that each of the 147 electoral wards of the state has a well equipped and functional PHCs, adding that some of the problems identified by the CSOs would be looked into with a view of addressing them.
