Health Minister Advocates Direct Funding For Primary Health Care Centres
The Honourable Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole has said that “Decentralised Facility Financing” (DFF) is the best financing model for Primary Health Centres (PHCs) if Nigeria must achieve health for all by the year 2020.
Professor Adewole stated this while on a One- day facility inspection of three PHC facilities funded in three different ways to test run the Nigeria State Health Investment Project (NSHIP) in Nasarawa state.
The inspection is part of a mid-term review of the implementation and the impact evaluation of NSHIP in the three pilot States of: Adamawa, Nasarawa, and Ondo to decide on which funding method is best for the management of PHCs in the country.
The three models used by the projects were: Result Based Financing (RBF), Performance Based Financing (PBF) and Decentralised Facility Financing or Direct Facility Financing (DFF) as against a non NSHIP facility otherwise known as Business –as- Usual facility.
Conducted round the 13 staffed PHC centre in Andaha Akwanga Local government Area, being funded under the PBF model, the Minister said he was impressed with the healthcare service delivery and management of the centre.
Also Inspecting the non PBF non BPF 10 staffed facility at Wulko, Nasarawa Eggon, L.G.A. the Minister observed that the facility was bedecked with numerous challenges ranging from lack of skilled personnel, basic essential drugs, inappropriate drug storage facility, poor hygiene, low Morale and poor work ethics bordering on absenteeism, etc. Professor Adewole noted that this PHC which he described as Business as Usual model had no support.
However, at the 18 staffed PHC at Alizaga, Nasarawa Eggon, funded under the DFF model, the Minister noted that the facility was equipped with well stocked Dispensary, standard laboratory with skilled staff and basic testing tools, good record keeping and neat working environment in a recently renovated structure.
In view of the above contrasting performances, Professor Adewole recommended the DFF model used at the Alizaga facility, as the best financing method for PHCs if quality healthcare service delivery must be achieved at all centres across the country.
Adewole explained that the model when adopted would take into consideration the peculiarity of each community. This, he said would encourage the people to own the facility, identify with it and make it work. He further emphasised that the difference between the 3 facilities was in their funding method.
Other facilities inspected by the Minister included a Comprehensive Health Centre in Quandere, which President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to commission later, the State Specialist Hospital still under construction and the State school of Nursing and midwifery, Lafia.
The visit was a step by the Federal government to make PHCs functional. The Minister later paid a courtesy call on the Executive Governor of Nasarawa State, Alhaji Tanko Al-makura.