Pregnant women, children to benefit from healthcare facilities upgrade
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Nigeria’s primary healthcare system has languished for decades, marked by insufficient infrastructure and lack of essential drugs and equipment. The consequence has been the delivery of inefficient and poor-quality healthcare services nationwide. Families, pregnant women and children across the country grapple with the financial burden imposed by inadequate healthcare services.
To address this situation, the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation and the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria (PSHAN) have launched a joint initiative that would guarantee comprehensive healthcare services across many communities in the country.
Through the Adopt-A-HealthCare-Facility-Programme (ADHFP), these two non-governmental organisations are aiming to renovate healthcare facilities to world-class standards in each of the 774 local councils of the country.
Speaking about the programme, the Executive Vice-Chair of the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, Ofovwe Aig-Imoukhuede, noted that ADHFP was already in motion in Edo State with the initial goal of revitalising 18 primary healthcare centres.
“The programme commenced with the signing of a tripartite agreement between the Edo State government, the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation and PSHAN pledging to adopt 23 primary healthcare centres nationwide at N2.3 billion. This commitment ensures the provision of necessary equipment, medical staff and drugs, guaranteeing comprehensive healthcare services for communities in the covered areas over the next five years,” Aig-Imoukhuede said.
He noted that 85 per cent of healthcare centres in Nigeria were primary healthcare centres but only 20 per cent were functional.
“This stark reality underscores a profound gap in healthcare delivery, particularly at the grassroots level. Addressing this gap emphasises the critical role of partnerships between state, local governments and the private sector. The private sector, equipped with extensive knowledge in healthcare delivery, can contribute resources, expertise and innovation to the resuscitation of primary healthcare in the country.”
“These collaborative efforts seek to identify weaknesses, showcase strengths and highlight opportunities for improvement in Nigeria’s primary healthcare system,” he added.
By Ijeoma Thomas-Odia
