The European Union Support to Immunisation Governance in Nigeria Project has rated the South East lowest in the implementation of the State Primary Health Care Development Agency.
Dr. Goli Lamiri, Leader of the Technical Assistance Project, gave the assessment on Wednesday in Awka, Anambra State at a one-day sensitisation workshop for policy makers in health sector in the zone.
Lamiri said the criteria adopted by the National Health Act and Primary Health Care system were used in evaluating states performance in the zone.
He said the criteria included strong management and governance system and effective legislation, funding of the Primary Health Care.
The others, he said, are minimum service package and mobilisation of human resources required to deliver services to communities.
Lamiri explained the team was in Awka in partnership with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency to support the South East to establish and strengthen the PHC boards.
Dr. Ado Mohammed, the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics of the NPHCDA, who represented the Executive Director, stressed the need to harmonise the activities of the PHCs.
Mohammed said this would help to streamline their functions and increase efficiency and effectiveness.
He said: “Bringing PHC under one roof is a strong instrument for effective delivery in Nigeria and it will be easier for states to be in total control in terms of allocation of resources, implementation and monitoring.
“If PHC is allowed to be in multiple lines of authority it will lead to waste and multiplicity of efforts.”
Dr. Joe Akabuike, the Anambra State Commissioner for Health, said the team’s visit would help the government to kick-start the implementation of the functions of the agency in the state.
Akabuike said any state that establishes the agency would enjoy one per cent of the consolidated revenue and would be in a better position to access loans and assistance from donor agencies.
NAN.