By ADO ABUBAKAR MUSA, Jos

80 percent of the 90 Primary Healthcare Centres in 15 states fall bellow the minimum standard set by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), according to a report by Connected Development (CODE).

The report was put together through @followthemoney, CODE’s social mobilisation and accountability movement.

At a townhall meeting in Jos on August 2, 2021, the group’s chapter lead, Khadijah Muhammad Abdulhameed, said the findings were made after a three-month of fieldwork and data analysis in the the states.

She stated that the research was supported by Conrad Hiltop Foundation and Skol Foundation.

She said states were sampled 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,” she said.

In his response during the meeting, the Executive Secretary of the 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.

The group, however, recommended that the National Primary Health Care Development Agency should set up a strong monitoring and evaluation team which would routinely track the PHCs to ensure the attainment of the minimum standard as stipulated by the agency. (Daily Trust)

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