A member of the defunct APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), All Progressives Congress (APC), Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has warned governors against diverting the N260 billion Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) revitalisation fund released by the Federal Government to them to tackle cholera outbreak.

Oyintiloye, who described the gesture as timely, sought prudent management of the huge cash.

Speaking to reporters in Osogbo, the Osun State capital yesterday, Oyintiloye said with the recent outbreak of cholera, PHCs must be well equipped to rescue the situation and that the money had been earmarked for their revitalisation.

He noted that many PHCs lack the capacity to provide essential health care services with the challenges of inadequate equipment, poor conditions of service, lack of essential drugs, among others.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate, had on May 24, this year said N260 billion had been earmarked for the revitalisation of PHCs across the country.

According to Pate, the money is available at the state level “for the revitalisation of their primary healthcare centres.”

Oyintiloye, however, appealed to governors not to divert the money, but to use it wisely to equip the PHCs to curb the spread of cholera and other diseases.

He said with the recent report that the death toll from cholera outbreak has hit 40, PHCs, which are always the first point of call for people in the period of emergency, must be strengthened.

The APC chieftain said the disclosure by the minister that plans were underway to expand the PHCs from 8,300 to 17,000 through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and make them functional to deliver essential services, was also commendable.

Oyintiloye, however, expressed worry that, if the fund, which is already at the state level, is not monitored, it could be diverted and the PHCs might not have the needed capacity to tackle the cholera outbreak.

He, however, urged President Bola Tinubu to ensure that a strict measure was put in place for the effective utilisation of the money.

Meanwhile, Director, Environmental Health, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Lagos State, Mr Akeem Olaewe has urged residents to heed the directive, control and prevention measures by the government to curtail the spread of cholera.

Olaewe said this yesterday during the fumigation of hostels in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Orientation Camp, Iyana-Ipaja in preparation for the NYSC 2024 Batch ‘B’ Stream 1 Orientation Course.

In Osun State, the state government has denied recording 13 cases of cholera.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Health Matters, Dr. Adekunle Akindele, said: “13 samples collected so far. All 13 samples sent to the laboratory, of which 13(100 per cent) were negative, 0 positive and no pending result. Cholera RDT kits and transport media have been strategically distributed to some health facilities across the 30 LGAs.’’

In Imo State, the Commissioner for Primary Health, Social Services and Health Insurance, Dr. Prosper Ohayagha Success, allayed fears of cholera.

Ohayagha stated that test results from all 27 local government areas have come out negative.” When we heard of the report of the 28 suspected cases in the 27 LGAs, we did a test and came out negative. We don’t have any outbreak yet, it was a suspected case,” Dr. Ohayagha told The Nation.

Still, Imo schools have been put on red alert with schools prepared to tackle it. (The Nation)

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