Oyo communities urged to take ownership of primary healthcare centres

The Resilient System for Sustainable Health Development/COVID-19 Response Mechanism (RSSH C19-RM) project in 5 local governments in Oyo has recommended that communities be more committed to the sustainability and efficiency of the primary healthcare facilities.

It added that healthcare workers should be accountable for their actions in the provision of healthcare at all levels.

Oyo State Programme Officer for the RSSH C19-RM project, Mr Oluseun Adebiyi, in a report of the programme’s remedial actions at these health facilities through community engagements during a media roundtable in Ibadan, said these are important to ensure uninterrupted service provision, accountability in service provision by healthcare workers, and make community members dynamic partners in PHCs.

According to him, through the 15 community-based organisations involved in the project, within a year, issues the facilities were facing were identified, and remedial actions were taken by the community where primary care centres are located to ensure sustainable and efficient service provision for HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, and COVID-19.

He listed remedial interventions taken at 45 PHCs involved in the project including the provision of night guards, water supply, purchase of essential drugs, provision of furniture, reconnection to the electric grid, and repair of buildings and facilities such as the solar light system, hospital beds, toilets, and its soakaway.

According to him, “PRIHEMAC, for example, engaged the Alakia PHC community stakeholders, resulting in the engagement of a night security guard and renovation of the bathroom and toilet.

“Organisation for Social Programme and HealthCare (OSPHC) working at Jabata PHC identified the uncompleted building for a new PHC and its subsequent completion by Oyo East LGA chairman through funding from the Community Strengthening Development Agency (CSDA) at the value of N1.4 million.”

Mr Adebiyi declared, “We see that community stakeholders are not doing much for their primary care centres. They say the facility belongs to the government. But the government cannot do it alone. So the community stakeholders where PHC centres are located should be more responsive and contribute resources to make the centres functional and efficient.

“Now in Nigeria, we have a shortage of health care workers, and they are overwhelmed. But despite that, those remaining must be accountable for the services they render. If they are not accountable for what they are doing, we are going to have more problems on our hands than we can solve.

Oyo State Coordinator for Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), Mr Faith Olawale, it was important that CSOs continue to advocate that communities complement what the government is doing on the provision of healthcare services, particularly at the grassroots.

Mrs Titilade Ogunkunle of the Family Counselling Centre, in a remark, stated that when community members realise that they own the facility, they are ready to do everything to make it work.

“Before now, people at the community level didn’t believe that they could do anything. But now, with this project, they have seen that they can do even more than what they have done.

READ MORE FROM: NIGERIAN TRIBUNE