248 wards have functional PHC centres in Lagos- Director
The Director of Medical services, Lagos State Primary Healthcare Board (LSPHCB), Dr Sanni Fausat Oluyombo has said 248 wards out of the 376 wards in Lagos have functional Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs).
She made this known at the 9th quarterly civil society media forum on strengthening the health systems in Nigeria through Strengthening Health System in Nigeria through PHC Under One Roof: Progress, Challenges and Way Forward (PHCUOR) organised by Development Communication Network (DevComs).
Reeling out the figures, Oluyombo said, the state has 57 flagship PHCs with 24 hours’ service, 3 Medical Officers in each giving 171 doctors.
“We have 26 secondary health facilities, a cadio-renal centre and wards that have no health centres yet are not neglected because we also carry out outreach services.”
She said, at the 57 flagship PHCs, “there are three doctors averagely, comprehensive laboratories where we carry out breast cancer and cervical cancer screenings, communicable and non-communicable diseases screenings are also done there. We also help mothers prevent transmission of HIV to their babies.
“There are instances where HIV positive mothers give birth to HIV negative babies at the PHCs unlike in those when diagnosis of HIV positive is like a death sentence.”
According to her, the scorecard of the PHCUOR as at November 2015 is Lagos State is 92 per cent.
She however recommended that states should increase budgetary allocation to PHCUOR as this will help reduce endless and needless maternal deaths in Nigeria.
“There is need to increase state disbursement for PHCUOR, establish integrated funding architecture and systems as it is expected to promote one management, one plan and one monitoring and evaluation system.”
She urged states and leaders at the House of Assembly to promote bills that will promote maternal and child health.
Speaking with Daily Times, the Programme Officer of DevComs, Biodun Owo said, the forum was put together to help participants understand the concept of PHCUOR; the core elements and principles; its implementation in Lagos State; success stories; challenges and way forward.
“We recognize the fact that PHCUOR Policy provides way out of the challenges facing Nigeria’s weak Primary Health Care System. Such challenges include fragmentation, duplication of roles and wastage of resourced, weak collaboration and coordination and the fact that our PHC structure is out of tune with international best practice”
