Reviving primary health care_Isaac Adewole

A declaration by the Federal Government that Primary Health Care centres across the country will soon be revived is a piece of good news. The Minister of State for Health, Osagie Ehanire, who gave the hint penultimate week in Benin, Edo State, said the decision was motivated by the desire to provide quality health service delivery. As a sub-sector of the health care delivery system in serious neglect, revamping it will undoubtedly bring a breath of refresh air to rural communities where most Nigerians live.

The renewal programme will affect 10,000 centres, for which the government has secured a foreign facility of $500 million. According to the minister, each of the 36 states of the federation will be allocated $1.5 million for this purpose. A robust PHC system is the foundation for effective life-saving health service architecture in most countries. But efforts to graft this into Nigeria’s health service code have not been successful due to policy inconsistency, lack of political commitment and corruption. The country’s best shot at this venture was under Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, a paediatrician, as Health Minister between 1986 and 1991. He implemented a national policy that accentuated preventive health care. Through it, an aggressive child immunisation and Oral Rehydration Therapy programmes were pursued, which helped to save the lives of millions of children.