Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has secured World Bank funding to enhance infrastructure in at least one primary healthcare facility in each of the state’s 193 wards. Dr. Nusirat Elelu, the Executive Secretary of the Kwara State Health Care Development Agency, announced this development in a statement released on Sunday. The funding, amounting to N887.8 million, is part of the Immunisation Plus and Malaria Progress by Accelerating Coverage and Transforming Services project, for which the state government has contributed a counterpart fund.
Dr. Elelu credited the release of these funds to Governor AbdulRazaq’s consistent payment of counterpart funds for various healthcare services. The governor is scheduled to formally launch the program on Monday, January 23, 2023, during which cheques will be distributed to the benefiting primary healthcare centers (PHCs) across the state. The statement emphasized the government’s commitment to achieving Universal Health Coverage for Kwarans and improving the Primary Health Care system to meet the needs of all citizens. Along with 13 other states, Kwara has secured this funding to strengthen its Primary Health Care centers.
The support is being provided through the World Bank-assisted IMPACT project via a Decentralised Facility Financing (DFF) mechanism. An initial disbursement of investment funds will be allocated to one Primary Health Care Centre in each of the 193 geopolitical wards in Kwara State. This initial investment aims to help the PHCs attain the standards of an ideal level 2 Primary Health Care center, capable of delivering a basic minimum package of health services.
The utilization of these funds will be guided by a work plan developed collaboratively by health facility staff and the Ward Development Committee, which will then be approved by the Kwara State Primary HealthCare Development Agency. This plan will address essential needs within the health centers, including infrastructural upgrades, equipment, medications, consumables, clean water sources, and security, based on identified requirements.
Additionally, operational funds will be transferred quarterly to the 193 PHCs through the DFF mechanism to support their daily operations. The management of these quarterly operational funds will be a joint effort between the Ward Development Committee Chairmen and the officers in charge of the PHCs, ensuring transparency and accountability. Oversight will be provided collectively by the National Primary HealthCare Development Agency, the State Primary HealthCare Development Agency, the Local Government Area Health Authority, and the World Bank.
Before receiving this support from the World Bank, Governor AbdulRazaq expressed interest in securing assistance for the Primary Health Care Centres in the state and paid the necessary counterpart fund to qualify. This funding is expected to significantly enhance the infrastructure and quality of service delivery at health centers, ultimately reducing under-five and maternal morbidity and mortality rates in the state. It will also facilitate a rapid improvement in the coverage of key maternal and child health interventions. Kwarans can look forward to a new era of improved Primary Health Care services.
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