Reps ask FG to take inventory of primary healthcare centres

The House of Representatives on Wednesday urged the Federal Ministry of Health to direct the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency to evolve a mechanism to take an inventory of the primary healthcare centres in the country.

This, the House said would help to ascertain the status and needs of the primary healthcare centres.

The House mandated committees on Healthcare services and health institutions to ensure implementation and report back within 8 weeks for further legislative action.

The House resolution followed a motion moved by Hon Joseph Edionwele entitled, “urgent need to revive the Primary Healthcare centres in the rural communities.”

According to him, the federal government deployed enormous resources through the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency and intervention funds on building primary health centres across the rural communities in the country.

Speaking further, he said that, “the deteriorating health condition of the citizenry as noted in recent reports by the World Health Organisation, WHO and other multilateral agencies in terms of increasing child/maternal mortality rate, resurgence of child killer diseases and drop in average life expectancy for the nation that call for urgent action.”

He however said that, many of the numerous health care centres built all over the country have not been equipped or provided with staff, as a result making them non-functional and of no benefits to the citizenry as they have remained abandoned and dilapidated.

Contributing to the motion, Hon Joseph Akinlaja said that, the two primary healthcare centres in his constituency, have no drugs, saying that, the facilities at the centre are also dilapidated.

Hon Rotimi Agunsoye on his part however said that, it is better to allow local governments to take care of their job of handling the primary healthcare centres, adding that there is nothing wrong to give them money to function.

For Hon Chika Adamu, he said that, the local government should be allowed to take proper care of the Primary Healthcare Centres that are not functioning.

Hon Ayo Omidiran while making her contribution noted that, there is a provision in the 2017 budget that takes care of what the motion is seeking.

The motion was passed when, the Speaker, Hon Yakubu Dogara, put it to voice vote.