CTAP: BudgIT to partner NPHCDA on healthcare services

COMFORT EKELEME

BudgIT Foundation said it will with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) in the next step of its COVID-19 Transparency and Accountability Project (CTAP) project.

This partnership is targeted towards improved health care provision in rural communities in Nigeria.

This was disclosed recently in Lagos during the COVID-19 Transparency and Accountability Project (CTAP) Coalition Building Meeting on “Health Care Accountability Beyond COVID-19”

BudgIT also stressed the need for raising awareness on the need for vaccines in Africa, while calling on the African government to ensure transparency and accountability in the deployment of vaccines as well as their equitable distribution to the most remote communities.

The campaign project is in partnership with Connected Development (CODE).

Giving the campaign rationale, BudgIT said the campaign sought to build the capacity of citizens in order to monitor the state of Primary Health Centers (PHCs) and vaccine storage, distribution, and handling in 15 states and monitor and advocate for a transparent and inclusive approach in the distribution of COVID-19 Vaccines in Nigeria.

BudgIT, the campaign also seeks to increase citizens’ participation in ensuring transparency and accountability in the health care sector, ensure that the government makes public the implementation plan of procurement and distribution of COVID-19 Vaccines.

Also, the campaign seeks to provide information on the state of PHCs across Nigeria in readiness to receive and distribute vaccines across the country and to advocate for improved health care facilities across Nigeria.

Findings in its just-concluded research, however, show 30per cent of PHCs do not have access to clean and safe water, others cited rain as their source of water.

According to BudgIT, “Discoveries during outreach in Otutu community in Kogi State revealed that the only PHC present in the community was donated by the Association of Orphans and Widows and community members who do not belong to the association are refused access to primary health care and have to walk for some kilometers to access this service elsewhere.

“Kona PHC in Taraba State serves the whole of Kona Ward with a population of over 24,000 people as a result of poor budgetary allocations.

“Health workers vaccinated only their friends and family members not as directed to them by their superiors,” BudgIT said.