A civil society organisation under the auspices of Civil Rights Concern (CRC) has sensitized community members and stakeholders about the provision of the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) seeking to support Anambra State primary healthcare centres.
Nigeria’s Basic Healthcare Provision Fund, was established by the Nigeria Health Act of 2014 to ensure every individual, regardless of their status, has access to quality primary healthcare.
It is funded by 1% of the consolidated revenue and is disbursed directly to Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs) to provide basic services, with a special provision for free antenatal care and delivery for pregnant women.
But speaking in an audit forum to discuss the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund in Awka, the Executive Director, Civil Rights Concern, Mr Okey Onyeka stressed the importance of community engagement and oversight involving Ward Development Committees (WDCs) acting as a bridge between communities and health facilities, ensuring local representation in management and accountability.
“Ensure Ward Development Committees (WDCs) report quarterly to their PGs and community leaders on facility activities and funding. Advocate for government to recruit more health workers, especially finance personnel, for PHCs and push for community interests to be represented in the development of PHC plans and budgets.
“Community engagement is critical, with WDCs and CSOs meant to oversee fund management and ensure accountability.”
Mr Onyeka encouraged Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to monitor fund implementation, generate data, and discuss findings with government structures in order to improve service delivery.
He urged community leaders (PGs) and women’s groups to take a more active interest in the management of PHC funds and be proactive in their oversight.
“Funds are allocated with specific percentages: 20% for drugs/vaccines, 15% for logistics, and 10% for staff development.”
Mr Onyeka however identified inadequate funding (₦300,000 per quarter), staffing shortages (especially finance personnel), and a lack of community awareness and involvement as major challenges militating against PHCs in the state.
“Several significant challenges hindering the fund’s success. The quarterly funding of ₦300,000 per PHC is deemed insufficient, though a potential increase to ₦600,000 has been proposed.
“A major operational gap is the lack of qualified personnel, particularly finance staff, forcing other workers to manage accounts. This is compounded by a general lack of capacity building and training for PHC staff. Furthermore, there is a widespread lack of awareness about the fund’s existence and purpose among the very communities it is meant to serve, leading to a lack of oversight and accountability.”
Contributing, the State Chairman, Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), Comrade Ugochukwu Okeke stressed the need for training and retraining of PHC officials to know to manage persons with disabilities (PWDs).
He noted that inaccessibility of health facilities is still a challenge, thereby preventing people from accessing PHCs in the state.
Highlight of the event was the presentation of the Audit Report for Anambra Primary Healthcare Development Agency by Chidinma Nwaka.###
