By Tony Adibe
The Enugu State Government has said that it “will be kicking off” the construction of additional 100 Type-2 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) facilities in the state within a few weeks. At the same time, the government said that it would not discard existing PHCs, but would strengthen them with staff, equipment and drugs to be able to deliver qualitative healthcare.
NewsBits recalls that the state government had earlier flagged off construction of 30 of the Type-2 PHC facilities about four months ago in various communities across the 17 council areas of the state. The Governor Peter Mbah-led administration had planned to build brand new Type-2 PHCs in each of the 260 political wards in the state. The Executive Secretary of Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ENS-PHCDA), Dr Ifeyinwa Ani-Osheku told reporters on Friday in Enugu that the ongoing construction of 30 Type-2 PHCs were at various stages of completion and awaiting inauguration for use.
Ani-Osheku said that with the speed being used to pursue the vision of 260 Type-2 PHCs; it is likely that the additional construction of 100 Type-2 PHCs would be completed and operational within this year. “Before the end of the year, with the vision of our amiable governor, Dr Peter Mbah, at least half of the 260 Types-2 PHCs will have been built, furnished, inaugurated and put to use,” according to her.
She also said: “Each of the approved 260 Type-2 PHCs to be built in the 260 political wards will have a minimum of 10 rooms. “Which will contain two different wards dedicated for male and female; two consulting rooms, an injection room, a dispensary room, a laboratory room and a maternity suite.
“The newly built Type-2 PHCs will have two well-furnished self-contained staff quarters to ensure ready accommodation for staff anytime and ensure that staff truancy is checkmated. The agency has got state government approval for recruitment of 400 staff in these Type-2 PHCs to fill existing and identified clinical and non-clinical man-power gaps.
“Each of the new Type-2 PHCs will have alternative clean energy especially solar power supply to ensure 24 hours non-stop power, which will ensure functionality and lighting up of the facilities even at night hours.”
She said that the state government and its health partners had started ensuring that needed health equipment, drugs, consumables and other necessities are provided to ensure optimal and qualitative care in these PHCs.
The ENS-PHCDA boss noted that the renewed focus and massive investment in optimal functionality of PHC centres was to make it the basis of healthcare delivery in the state. The executive secretary said the state government was repositioning the PHC to take care of about 80 per cent health needs and burden of the residents especially as the vast majority of the populace live in rural communities.
“The current administration is also repositioning PHCs to play a vital role in immunization coverage, health education/awareness, disease surveillance and a pivotal role in the state health insurance scheme. We hope with more hands and clinical experts our routine and special vaccination programmes will be positively impacted and seamlessly successful as well as health education/awareness that these PHCs would promote from time to time among our rural people.
“The government plans to run a wide-reach and quality-oriented state health insurance scheme through the PHC centres; where residents only pay N12,000 for a year to participate in the community health insurance scheme,” she said.
Ani-Osheku also commented on the existing PHCs, stressing that, “What we planned is that while the existing PHC centre is in one corner of a political ward (probably the northern side); the new one among the 260 Types –2 PHC centres will be built in another corner (southern side).
“This arrangement is carefully made since some political wards might be more than one community and a very vast area expanding to several kilometres. So, residents have to trek or commute very few kilometres to access the PHC close to their homes for healthcare at any time as the PHC is fashioned to operate 24 hours and give optimal quality service.”
