The Connected Development (CODE), has through its social mobilisation and accountability movement in Africa @followthemoney, said 80 percent of the 90 healthcare centres in 15 states of Nigeria, falls short of minimum standard.
The group’s leader Ms. Khadija Muhammad Abdulhameed, stated this at a town hall meeting held in Jos, the Plateau state capital.
She said finding from the group’s fieldwork of three months and data analysis, revealed that the minimum PHC standard set by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), with regards to structures, staffing and administration of the covid 19 vaccines received by the states are low.
Ms. Abdurasheed, said the research which was supported by the Conrad Hiltop Foundation and Skol Foundation, sampled were made across the 6 geopolitical zones of the country.
“Two of every ten facilities in the states do not have any form of electricity; they supplement natural light with lanterns or torchlights.
“Thirty (30) percent have no access to clean water, thus relying on water from sources like wells and rain water, stored in tanks. With regards to vaccines’ storage and administration, only 56 out of the 90 PHCs have assess to the recommended pharmaceutical fridge to host the said vaccines.
“Our research also found that a number of the PHCs received less than 10 vials of COVID19 vaccine, which brought to question the checklist that informed such numbers for a facility that serves a community of nothing less than one thousand (1000) people and that the common service denominator amongst all the PHCs is that 90 percent of the facilities provide ante-natal and maternity care, although the absence of sufficient personnel brings into question the quality of care mother’s and babies receive,” the reports said.
Its further recommended that the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, should set up a strong monitoring and evaluation team that would routinely tract the PHCs to ensure the attainment of the minimum standard as stipulated the agency.
Reacting, the executive secretary, Plateau state Primary Heath Care Board, Livinus Muapkwap, said the state government was doing everything possible to tackle all the necessary challenges in the health sector of the state.
