In a bid to further make Healthcare services accessible and affordable to Oyo State residents,the present administration led by Governor Seyi Makinde, recently revitalized and rejuvenated more than 200 primary Healthcare centers ( PHCs) out of 351 existing Primary Healthcare Centers ( PHCs) across all the nooks and crannies of the State .
The Executive Secretary,Oyo State Primary Health Care Board,Dr. Muideen Olatunji, made disclosure while interacting with the news men on the achievements of Governor makinde in primary health care delivery .
Olatunji maintained that governor Makinde has re-positioned PHCs in the state from serious weakness to better strength considering the degree of infrastructural development and various innovations put in place.
He said: One of the major sectors in the country that has suffered neglect across the country is health and the primary health care centers suffered worse because it was in the domain of the local government areas and it has suffered serious neglect in all ramifications that you can actually talk about; like infrastructure, human resource and financing. This is what led to the promulgation of the national health law in 2014, to revitalize and rejuvenate primary health care across the country. So, we are coming from a position of serious weakness now to a position of better strength.
“ I will say we are on a positive throttle since we have started rejuvenating and revitalizing primary health care. One of the major steps taken is the establishment of a Primary Health Care Board that can now bring all PHCs across the state under one roof and this one gives us better coordination in governing structure, so this structure has helped in positioning PHCs. We have also been able to harmonize the personnel and now we have a single focus, as long as our practice direction is concerned.
Since the inception of this administration, it has taken PHCs as one of its cornerstones which needs to build upon and have a solid foundation, we work by the concept of the World Health system whereby we itemize and identify each PHC for each of the political wards and that takes up about three hundred and fifty-one (351) health care facilities across Oyo state, now to be renovated and upgraded to level three PHC and this is a very giant stride in repositioning PHCs in Oyo state. The ongoing renovation and upgrading are at an advanced stage, more than 200 facilities have been renovated and upgraded across the state. We have also commenced the process of equipping them with modern equipment to be able to render qualitative healthy care service.
Speaking on the fund, he said passing the law that set aside of 7.5% of the local government allocation to run PHCs has sustained and improved the funding of this sector.
“We have been having the issue of funding and out of the basket, the fund is from where we were able to fund the renovation activities. Something that is novel, that has not been done before in the country is the passing into law that 7.5% of the local government allocation will now be set aside to run PHCs in Oyo state and this is a fund for the sustenance of PHCs in Oyo state and this is a major step to improve funding in the sector.
“Going forward again, we are looking for ways to address human resources for health because, despite everything we have done, there is still a need for personnel that will be able to operate the system so the state is actually looking into this again. Work has commenced in earnest.
He explained that the government on monthly basis procures drugs and distributes them to facilities, in order to allow people at the grassroots to have access to quality health care services in the state.
“Every month we have the procurement of drugs being distributed to all the facilities so that people can have access to care and remove all barriers to access quality health care service in the state. We have been having issues with the data tool, sometime if you get to the facilities there are no cards and data tools to capture some of the activities done, now the state has gone ahead to produce all these things in large quantities in all our various facilities. So, these are the giant strides we are making in PHCs in Oyo state and I think they are continuous positive strides.The drugs are prepared centrally and shared with the local government and from the local governments, it is shared according to their needs.
Olatunji, also hinted that part of the steps taken by the government to sustain the facilities is the involvement of the Ward Development Committees in the running of all the PHCs in the State.
He added that the state is collaborating with the members of the community as well as other NGOs that are working in the state.
“Well, part of the thing we have done is to strengthen the Ward Development Committees in order to allow the community people to get involved in the PHCs services. Communities need to own the PHC’s services and get involved and what we often tend to say is that whatever is going on, they should be able to oversee and give us feedback.
“There should be a monthly meeting, part of the things we have been able to achieve is the basic fund’s provision program which has commenced in Oyo state, and with that, we have been able to advance funds into those flagship PHCs in each of the political wards and members of the WDC are part of the committee that will oversee the spending so we tend to encourage people to get involved with the activities so that they can own what we give to them and so that there will be a result for all investment we are making in the sector.
“ There are many services we are encouraging members of the community to come in and help us in driving, for instance, the issue of COVID-19, people should be mobilized within their community and all mothers are encouraged to bring their children from routine immunization so that they can have qualitative life and all mothers are being encouraged to take their deliveries in the facilities so that they can be attended to by skilled birth attendant so that infant and mother mortality can be brought to the barest minimum. These are the things we are doing in a collaborative manner with the members of the community as well as other NGOs that are working with us in Oyo state.
Speaking on the running of the facilities, the PHCs in the state are run by Primary Health Care Board, adding that there are two gateways to funding PHCs, which include, the Primary Health Care Board gateway and the OYSHIA gateway.
“OYSHIA cannot run any PHCs, PHCs will be run by Primary Health Care Board but what we do is that we have two gateways to funding PHCs; Primary Health Care Board gateway and OYSHIA gateway. Health insurance is like a buyer, they want to buy the service that we are rendering. They will fund our facilities so that we will be able to render our services smoothly, they are not running the PHCs, they are only supporting with the funding.
