Reps urge FG to commence rehabilitation of healthcare centres

The House of Representatives on Thursday urged the Federal Government to commence the immediate rehabilitation and equipping of Primary Healthcare Centres across the 36 States of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja for effective healthcare delivery in the country.

This followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Hon Taofeek Abimbola Ajilesoro , Ife Central Federal Constituency of Osun State, titled “Rehabilitation of Primary Health Care Centres across the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory for effective Health Care Service Delivery” at the plenary presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Hon Idris Wase.

Presenting the motion, the lawmaker decried the deplorable state of the nation’s Primary Health care services and called for immediate action, saying that “only healthy people can make a healthy nation”.

According to him, ” the House: Notes that good health is a relative state in which one is able to function well physically,
mentally, socially and spiritually in order to express the full range of one’s unique potentials with the environment in which one is living.

“Also notes that primary health is the essential health care made available to an individual in a community at a balance costs that he can afford.

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“Concerned that most of the primary health care centres across the Federation and. the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja are either uncompleted or in a state of disrepair and in some cases without equipment to function efficiently and effectively, thus leaving them in deplorable conditions.

” Also concerned that the inability to effectively address the numerous public health challenges has contributed to the persistent and high level of poverty and the weakness of the primary health care system

“Aware that political instability, corruption, limited institutional capacity and unstable economy
are major factors responsible for the poor development of primary health care in Nigeria

“Worried that when people fall sick of minor ailments like malaria or pains, they often go to the tertiary health care institutions for treatment because the primary healthcare centres are not available and where there is one, they are not equipped with drugs a d staff to function effectively”

The lawmaker argued that for the nation to restore an improvement in the healthcare servers, there was the need to improve the primary healthcare system, by the provision of basic equipment to market centres function effectively.

The motion was unanimously adopted when it was put into voice by the Deputy Speaker Hon Idris Wase.

It was also resolved that the Federal Ministry of Health should employ all cadres of health providers for primary healthcare centres to ensure effective and efficient care delivery.

The House then mandated the committee on Healthcare Services to ensure full implementation of the resolutions.