The Federal government has urged State governors to increase the numbers of health workers in Primary Health Centres (PHCs) for adequate healthcare services.
It noted that some PHCs lack human resources and infrastructure which have affected operations of healthcare services in the country.
Speaking in Ibadan during his inspection visit to some PHCs in Oyo State, the Executive Director/CEO, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, maintained that adequate human resources become necessary to have well trained and respectful personnel to attend to people at various health centers, adding that government is working with governors, commissioners and traditional rulers to ensure affordable and adequate healthcare services for Nigerians.
He noted that Federal government has renovated over 4,000 PHCs in the last four years of President Buhari’s administration, adding that the government has also revitalised them, to sure that the health workers embarked on periodic training so as to have capacity to delivered quality healthcare services to Nigerians.
“Healthcare of Nigerians is our priority, that is why we are working with stakeholders at the national level in making sure that Nigerians are well treated with dignity and compassion whenever they access these facilities, they are well respected, and make sure they are giving medication and management that will make them recover from their illness.
“Our ambition is to have at least one functional PHC per political ward across the country, no matter how big the money we spend into the health sector, it is not enough to spend money into building large tertiary hospitals, but also to revitalize PHCs by recruiting well trained health workers, making sure the workers are well paid, ensuring security across the PHCs and putting in place infrastructure.”
The Oyo Commissioner for Health, Dr Bode Ladipo, described the visitation as an attestation to efforts of the state government towards affordable healthcare delivery which was one of the priority of the state government.
He noted that the State government is currently working on renovation of over 351 PHCs across the State, adding that all the PHCs shall become fully operational by the end of the present administration
He, however, said the residents now have access to affordable healthcare service, which is now at their door steps.