The Lagos State Government yesterday said 23 out of the 39 primary healthcare centres (PHCs) mapped out for constrution and renovation are completed and ready for commissioning.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi said 39 PHCs are under construction and renovation across all 57 local government and local council development areas.
This according to Abayomi said is part of efforts geared towards the revitalization of the primary healthcare system in Lagos. “The State Government has carried out a comprehensive assessment of no fewer than 329 Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs) in the state.”
Abayomi who disclosed this yesterday at a ministerial press briefing to commemorate Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu led administration first year in office noted that the assessment focused on the level of functionality and geographical positioning system of the PHCs to identify gaps for service improvement efforts.
Abayomi explained that the comprehensive assessment was carried out in collaboration with two non-governmental organization; Health Assist and PharmAccess Foundation to improve the quality of service delivery at PHCs across the state.
The commissioner noted that with the assessment, the key areas of focus of PHCs revitalization will include; infrastructural upgrade, data management, operational cost, power supply, water supply, drug supply, sewage management, staffing, immunization programmes, bridging communication gap between the ministry of health, local government and primary healthcare board, facility management and monitoring, financing mechanism, insurance scheme amongst others. He added that these are issues that have constituted challenge for third tier of health care delivery which must be addressed.
“We are not unmindful of the challenges facing primary health care system, the reason we embarked on the assessment exercise as part of our plan to effect major and lasting transformations that will make access to healthcare facilities at the grassroots hitch free.
“Equipped with knowledge of identified gaps, the administration of the governor in the last one year embarked on the construction and renovation of 39 primary healthcare centres across all 57 local government and local council development areas to bridge the gaps; 23 of these PHCs are completed and ready for commissioning while others are at various stages of completion,” he said.
Abayomi added that the Sanwo-Olu led administration has constructed and delivered five Medical Porta cabins to five PHCs as part of its infrastructural upgrade drive for improved service delivery. He noted that this was done in collaboration with Rotary International.
Recognizing the prime place of PHCs in the overall healthcare delivery system, the commissioner advocated more synergy between the State Ministry of Health, the Local government authorities and National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) to have a robust and viable service delivery at the PHC level stressing that it would only amount to an exercise in futility if all stakeholders work at variance.
While adding that primary healthcare is the bedrock of any healthcare system, Abayomi stressed that it is because the challenges confronting this level of healthcare system are not adequately addressed that is why the secondary and tertiary levels of care are overwhelmed.