FG Has Disbursed N16bn to States for Primary Health Care Delivery, Says Minister

Ademola Babalola in Ibadan

The federal government has disbursed about N16billion to all the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for qualitative primary health care delivery so as to safeguard the health care needs of the people.

The Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, made this disclosure yesterday in Ibadan while on a working day visit to the University College Hospital to ascertain the level of health care delivery in the premier university.

Explaining the breakdown of the sum, he said just last week, the government released a sum of N420 million to each of the 36 states across the country and the Federal Capital Territory to revitalise the Primary Healthcare Centres across the country.

Speaking on the purpose of the fund, Adewole maintained that the money as a seed money from the federal government to the state in helping them to revitalise the primary healthcare in their areas was aimed reversing influx of people that need healthcare into tertiary hospitals.

He said the states that perform well would be given more money in the subsequent years as a way of compensating them for job well done.
On his working visit, the minister explained that the UCH was capable in handling any medical case with the available manpower and facilities.

He said to boast the achievements of the hospital, the government has picked the hospital as one of the seven health facilities to be upgraded this year.
He said the hospital is in best position to reverse medical tourism based on the available manpower and facilities he meet in the hospital.

Adewole who also used the occasion to commission the Total Quality Management Unit in the hospital, also visited various departments such as NHIS desk, UCH PPP lab, wards, theaters and Intensive Care Unit in the hospital and the Kola Daisi Foundation (KDF) centre for primary and community health.

While expressing optimism on the achievements of the five-year old KDF, Adewole pledged the commitment of the federal government to adopt the centre just like the 110 already adopted centres. He said by adopting it as a centre of excellence for the comprehensive primary healthcare in the country, the number of adopted centres would be 111 across the nation.

“The federal government will adopt this facility as a model, we have already adopted 110 and this one will also be added.

“This model will be replicated throughout the country.
The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Professor Temitope Alonge, described the visit of the former Provost of the College of Medicine, UCH, and immediate past Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan as a homecoming.

Related Articles