States ruled by the All Progressives Congress (APC) are to henceforth devote 15 per cent of their annual budget to healthcare delivery.
The decision was contained in a communiqué issued on Sunday in Abuja after a meeting of Commissioners of Health and Executive Secretaries of Primary Health Care Development Agency of APC-controlled states on how to improve Primary Health Care Delivery in the states under the ruling party.
The meeting, which took place in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, with the theme: Improving Primary Health Care Delivery in APC State, also agreed to undertake the establishment of sustainable healthcare financing systems, such as health insurance and health emergency trust fund, in their states.
The communiqué was jointly signed by Kwara State Commissioner of Health, Dr. Raji Razaq and the Director-General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), Salihu Lukman.
According to the communiqué, the meeting resolved “to domesticate Primary Health Care under one roof in line with Federal Government policy initiative under the National Primary Health Care Development Authority; priority consideration to be given to Maternal and Child Nutrition in Primary Healthcare Delivery Services”.
The meeting identified the challenges of primary health care delivery in all member-states and resolved to proffer sustainable solutions aimed at tackling the challenges confronting primary healthcare delivery.
This they agreed to achieve by facilitating the adoption of uniform implementation of policy initiatives on primary healthcare delivery across all APC states and to promote synergy, peer review, and experience sharing among APC states on primary healthcare delivery.
“Issues identified requiring responses from government border on healthcare financing, health infrastructural development, human resources for healthcare delivery, quality control, inter-sectoral collaboration, and service delivery.
“Following all the presentations and recognising the commitment of APC, as provided in the party manifestos, the meeting resolved as follows: the need for APC states to align with Federal Government’s declaration of 15 per cent annual allocation and release to healthcare services.”
“APC states to undertake the establishment of sustainable healthcare financing system, such as health insurance and health emergency trust fund,” the statement added.
The Nation
