World Bank disburses N12m to private medical practitioners in Ondo

About eight private hospitals in Ondo State benefitted from the N12 million investment credit from a World Bank assisted project sponsored by Nigeria State Health Investment Project (NSHIP).

Speaking during the presentation of the cheques of N1.5 million to each of the hospital, the state coordinator of NSHIP, Dr Adijat Ige, said the money was given to the hospitals to help them purchase more facilities and equipments for quality health delivery in the state.

Ige said this had become imperative in order to improve health care delivery in the state, adding that the project deemed it right to engage private sector under the aegis of Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN) as critical stakeholders.

She said that the investment credit, which would soon be extended to other 17 councils of the state, is released to the private hospitals to purchase basic health facilities and equipment.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Wahab Adegbenro, who disbursed the cheque, described the steps as another step to make health service delivery affordable and available to the state residents.

Adegbenro added that the state government had stepped up plans to implementing health insurance scheme that would make quality health service available to entire citizenry of the state, saying the paper work had got to the final state and it would soon be forwarded to the state House of Assembly for approval.

The commissioner urged the beneficiaries to judiciously utilise the fund, imploring private health facilities in the state to support the state government on greater achievements in the health sector.

The Communication Officer of the World Bank project, Mr Kehinde Adeleye, disclosed that it was an urban performance-based Nigeria financing to sustain the health landmark achieved in the state.

Adeleye said “It is to partner with the private hospitals as part of efforts to revamp the sector and encourage active stakeholders in providing affordable healthcare services for the people.”

Adeleye noted that the pilot programme kicked off in Ondo West LGA during the immediate past administration in February and N15m was disbursed to nine private hospitals due to the existing health and medical structures in the council.

He added that Ondo State is one of the three states in the country currently under the urban performance based financing scheme.

The state AGPMPN President, Dr Jimi Oke, lauded the donor and the ministry for the gesture meant to cater for the state residents, who according to him, patronised more private health facilities than the public ones.