By CHARLES IWUOHA

No fewer than 291 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in Enugu State have been listed to benefit from the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).

Dr George Ugwu, the Executive Secretary of Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ENS-PHCDA), said this at the weekend at the end of State Training of Trainers (STOT) for BHCPF Capacity Building in the state.

Ugwu said 40 senior health workers, drawn from the 17 council areas of the state, were participating in the week-long training.

According to him, the training is the first step for the preparation to implement the national BHCPF programme in the state at the primary healthcare centres (PHCs).

He said that the participants would step the training down to council areas and PHCs with the help of a manual.

“This BHCPF programme is important to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and ENS-PHCDA as well as our other health development partners.

“BHCPF, for short, will lead to the infrastructure and facility improvement at the PHCs as well as drug availability in the PHC facilities,” Ugwu said.

He said that the 291 PHCs in the programme had ensured at least one PHC in each ward of the state for even spread.

He said the BHCPF, which would be operated in the model of the state’s Health Insurance Scheme, would give rural residents affordable, comprehensive and efficient healthcare.

“When the BHCPF programme starts running, our PHCs and their services will improve and the financial health-burden of rural dwellers will reduce drastically.

“Everyone in the neighbourhood or community will access continuous standardised healthcare services with little token that will not be a burden on their pockets,” he said.

Ugwu thanked Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for supporting programmes meant to alleviate disease burden of residents, especially the poor in remote localities.

“Ugwuanyi always has his focus on people-oriented programmes meant to benefit a vast number of our people in rural areas that might not easily have opportunity and financial means to access quality healthcare.

“With BHCPF, the state government will be able to reach the poor and downtrodden as well as give our rural people comprehensive and affordable healthcare,” he said.

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