Academics and Students from the faculty of social and management sciences, Kaduna State University, KASU, are advocating to the Kaduna state government to fund the primary health care through improved funding, timely release of allocated budgetary funds, policy implementation and breaking of any barrier to child and family health in Kaduna state.
The academics and students disclosed this during a side session at The 2019 International Conference on Contemporary Issues in Social Science Research organized by the University in collaboration with the Partnership for Advocacy in child and family health at scale, PACFaH@Scale in Kaduna early this month.
With the sub-theme, Healthcare, Service delivery and Quality of life; An Assessment of the 255 PHCs in Kaduna State, the academics deliberated on the findings of the 2019 assessment of the 255 primary healthcare canters renovated by the state government.
The Health Advocate reports that the assessment of the 255 PHCs renovated by the state government was carried out by the Open Government Partnership, OGP, and Integrated Initiative for Grassroots Support, IIGES and the PACFaH@Scale project to review the situation of the PHCs in Kaduna State.
Some of the findings of the assessment include; significant non-compliance to policy requirements needed to catapult the attainment of universal health coverage for citizens of the state, on release of budget allocation and the inability of the state primary healthcare board to include primary health care under one roof implementation in the state, and sub-state under the state’ primary health care board has become a serious challenge to healthcare delivery in the state.
Other findings are; understaffed primary health care centers (PHCs), and the inability of the Primary health care centers in the state to operate 24hour service as a bottleneck to adequate healthcare delivery in the state.
There are also the issues bordering on key requirements for PHCUOR implementation at the state and sub-state levels are not captured in the SPHCB Laws, Malaria, HIV/AIDS and TBL programs were not captured in the law establishing the state primary health care board (SPHCB). The spot check assessment revealed that most primary health centers (PHCs) are not operating 24-hour services and only 48% of the PHC assessed operate 24hour services.’’ He added
Furthermore, the findings also revealed a shortage of personnel working at the primary health centers ( PHCs) assessed. From the assessed 255 prioritized primary health centers (PHCs) 130 (53%) have a medical doctor or community health officer(CHO) available. About 18 (7%) have the recommended four nurse/midwives and 170 (70%) have at least three community health extension workers (CHEWs). Also, 143 (59%) have at least one laboratory technicians whilst 23 (9%) have six junior community health extension workers (JCHEWs) with 122 (50%) having one environmental health officer (EHO). Only 159 of the PHCs assessed have at least two health attendants. A total of 18 (7%) of the primary health centers (PHCs) assessed have pharmacy technicians. Despite the importance of security in protecting lives and properties only 10 (4%) of the assessed PHCs have at least two security personnel. In addition, only 5 (2%) of the primary health centers (PHCs) have general maintenance staff.
In a panel discussion led by the Dean of the faculty of social sciences, Dr Aminu Usman, the academics also proffer solutions and agreed to continue to mobilize the university community to advocate for improved funding, timely release of allocated budgetary funds, policy implementation and breaking of any barrier to child and family health in Kaduna state.
A Professor of Community Medicine at the Kaduna State University, Dr. Nambam Omole, challenged academics to provide solutions to the various challenges facing the health sector, adding that research is the backbone of national development worldwide. She added that the collaboration between the University and PAS will go a long way in shaping a deeply research-based advocacy initiative that will work to promote better healthcare delivery in the state.
In his remarks, a Professor of Health Sociology, Professor James Akpokos charged the state government to invest in the health sector as a panacea to the on-going socio-economic challenges facing the state. He said with adequate funding of the health sector, the state will be in the best position to deliver the needed dividends of democracy
After listening to the views of the panellists and the audience, the Executive Secretary of the state Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Hamza Abubakar, represented the Director, Primary Healthcare in the agency, Dr Iliyasu Neyu, disclosed that the state is yet to receive its operational cost of the BHCPF from the NPHCDA despite payment of its counterpart fund of hundred million to the Federal government.
He assured that the Kaduna state government is investing in the health sector and has prioritized funding the sector in view of the significance of health to the socio-economic development of the state.
‘’No nation develops without healthy citizens that is why the state government is fulfilling all its commitments in the areas of funding, policy implementation and infrastructural development’’ He assured the coalition that the doors of the state government are open to constructive participation in order to improve the health indicators of the state.
The Next Steps
After the 4 hours engagement, the PAS coalition met with the local organizing committee of the 2019 international conference at the office of the Dean of the faculty of social science, Dr. Aminu Usman to agree with the next steps the partnership should take as they collectively work together to improve healthcare delivery in the state.
The partnership will include conducting researches on health advocacy, the establishment of a students’ advocacy club to promote adolescent health and introduction of a journal for researches on FP, CKD, RI, and PHCUOR.
Other collaborations are; conduct joint conferences on healthcare and quality of life and the academics will join Advocacies for improved healthcare in Kaduna state.
