FCTA Requires $22b To Revitalize PHC in Abuja

***Seeks Partnership To Close The 24 Percent Funding Gap

Favour Ishember, ABUJA

The Federal Capital Territory Health and Human Service Secretariat (HHSS) has hinted that the administration requires about 22 billion dollars to close the funding gap of Primary Health Care (PHC) out of which USAID has supported with 14bn.

This becomes imperative as the health facilities targeted to serve about 1. 5 to 2 million people are overstretched to serve over 6 million FCT residents.

To this end, the Health and Human Service Secretariat (HHSS) in collaboration with international partners came up with a system where philanthropists and spirited individuals can help to revitalize PHC through their moral support.

Dr. Abubakar Tafida, the Secretary, Health and Human Services Secretariat gave this hint during a press briefing to herald the new funding system of PHC in the nation’s capital.

According to him: It is not that FCTA is not doing their best, they have revitalized about 83 of the Primary Health Care , we have 154 functional PHC in FCT with at least 83 in minimum operations. They procured $ 2. 4 m drugs and consumables were provided to us. There has been a lot of intervention in FCT, there has also been the Basic Healthcare Province Fund component. This means one ward one PHC and we have 62 wards in the six Area Councils.

“We are currently developing new structures in Primary Health Care centers all in an effort to ensure that services provided are standard.

We are soliciting support from various organizations and international partners and individuals to come and look at the status of the PHC and revitalize them, we are not asking for money.You can choose one, or ten and support it. We want to drill a borehole so that there can be water for women and children to use.

“But the truth is that there has been so much investment in the health sector especially on the FCT as recent as providing drugs and consumables. $4 million going forward we need to look at the status of this primary health centers. Asking someone to provide a website where anybody who is interested in watching can go through the plight in the primary health center and decide to provide manpower support, provide anything that will improve the quality of care in that facility.

“On behalf of the less privileged people in the FCT. The privileged citizens can look at the state of the system not necessarily within the city and decide which of the PHCs they can choose and be involved in a number of a commitment to our support.

“There has been the basic health care provision component that has been introduced by the federal government. There has been three components. We have the Primary Health Care aspect, we have health insurance aspects, and we have the emergency medical services aspect both of them are working”, he said.