Anambra Assembly decry deplorable state of Primary Healthcare Centres

The Anambra House of Assembly has expressed dissatisfaction with the state of Primary Health Centres (PHCs) in the state in spite of accessibility to Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).

Dr Cater Dike-Umeh, representing Aguata Constituency I and Chairman, House Committee on Health, made the observation at the ongoing 2022 Revised Budget defence by the state House of Assembly Committee on Finance and Appropriation, in Awka.

Dike said the state of the PHCs were deplorable and unacceptable.

“In most of the constituencies, we are yet to see any PHC that has been refurbished. So, we will carry out an oversight function to see these projects the BHCPF were used for since 2020.

“The best we can give to residents is access to basic healthcare. We have to get it right this time around as it concerns primary healthcare in Anambra,” Dike-Umeh said.

Earlier, Dr Chioma Ezenyimulu, Executive Secretary of the Anambra State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, said it had accessed over N805 million from the BHCPF since 2020.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the BHCPF was established under section 11 of the National Health Act 2014 as a catalyst funding to improve access to primary healthcare.

BHCPF provides free minimum basic healthcare to the poorest and most vulnerable Nigerians through accredited Primary Health Centres (PHCs) in each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

She said: “Anambra is one of the states in the country that met the criteria to access the Basic Health Care Provision Fund since 2020.

“The fund is for 332 PHCs in different Wards of the state. The fund comes quarterly by remita to the facilities from the Central Bank of Nigeria and it is an average of about N103,000 per facility.

“Since 2020, the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency has deposited the sum of N805, 049, 047.79 to the 332 facilities to refurbish and equip the primary healthcare centres.

“The Ward Development Committee Chairmen are the signatories to the account and they carry out these projects based on an approved work plan by the national.

“Through this fund, we were able to also employ 60 midwives to fill the gap because we have shortage of staff,” she said.