156 Healthcare Facilities In Delta enrolled Into Basic Health Care Provision Fund

By Magnus Emuji

Delta State Government has said that a total of 156 Public Healthcare Centres in the State have been approved for inclusion into the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).

The Director of Planning, Research and Statistics in the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Charles Eboka made the disclosure in Asaba when the State Chairman of Civil Society in Malaria Control, Immunization and Nutrition (ACOMIN), accompanied by the State Program Officer for Malaria Project under ACOMIN, Sir Austin Uwede paid an advocacy visit to the Agency.

Eboka, who said that with the development, Delta State now has 402 PHCs across the State, noted that 5 designated Banks including Access Bank, Zenith Bank, GTBank, UBA and First Bank had been selected for account opening for the PHCs.

The Program Officer for Basic Healthcare in the Agency, Mr. Divine Azubike said that the selected Banks are in compliance with a particular App that would be developed, noting that the PHCs had been directed to prepare a business plan for two quarters.

Earlier, the Chairman of ACOMIN, Pastor Gregory Sifo and the ACOMIN State Program Officer, Sir Austin Uwede appreciated the Agency for its support and informed them that the C19 Project had ended.

Sifo and Uwede said that the Malaria aspect of the Project had commenced implementation this year and called for more support and commitment from the Agency in order to ensure a seamless implementation of the project.

At the State Ministry of Health where ACOMIN team paid separate advocacy visits to the Malaria Program Manager, Dr.(Mrs) Julie Aniah and the Program Coordinator, State AIDS , Viral Hepatitis and Syphilis, Dr. Linda Peter-Enyi , Sifo and Uwede said that ACOMIN was implementing in 13 States across Nigeria.

Sifo and Uwede explained that under the ACOMIN Malaria Project, TB and HIV had been integrated , adding that they were collaborating with the Society for Family Health (SFH)and Management Sciences for Health(MSH)in implementing the project.

While saying that the responsibility of ACOMIN was to ensure Accountability for commodities supplied for effective service delivery, and carry out Advocacy visits to the various relevant stakeholders, they stated that the essence of such advocacies was to inundate relevant stakeholders ( Communities Ministries and Agencies, LGAs) of the gaps observed at the facilities.

Uwede particularly said that in the case of shortage of staff in the PHCs , ACOMIN usually interfaces with the Local Government administration, just as he intimated Dr. Aniah that the PHCs in Eku in Ethiope East is located in an isolated area,such that the facility was not receiving the required patronage, while the PHC in Beneku in Ndokwa East was in dire need of drugs/commodities for effective service delivery.

Sifo reiterated that ACOMIN Project was adopting community led approach so as to ensure that communities assume ownership of their healthcare facilities, stressing that through several advocacies to community leaders, the PHCs have been receiving community support.

The ACOMIN team led by Pastor Gregory Sifo also visited the Executive Secretary of the Delta State Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS (DELSACA), Dr. Hobson Simaga Rudolf .

Speaking during the visit, Sir Austin Uwede described DELSACA as one of the key partners in the ACOMIN project, saying that HIV and TB programs have been integrated into the Malaria Project and lauded the Executive Secretary for his cooperation and support since the beginning of ACOMIN project in the State.

In their separate responses, the Malaria Program Manager, Dr. Aniah, the Executive Secretary of DELSACA, Dr. Rudolf and the Program Coordinator of SAPC, Dr. Peter-Enyi promised to contribute their quota towards the success of the Project.

Dr. Rudolf said that DELSACA had been making efforts to ensure that healthcare facilities got test kits, disclosing that there were plans to reach out to different firms and spirited individuals to support as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR )to complement government’s efforts.