Recession: FG cancels plan to build 10,000 health care centres

The All Progressives Congress (APC) -led Federal Government has cancelled its earlier plan to build 10,000 primary health care centres.

The government had promised it would build 10,000 primary health care centres across all senatorial zones in the country, but disclosed on Thursday that it will no longer go ahead with the project.

According to Professor Isaac Adewole, Minister of Health, the decision to cancel the project was based on the advice of Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, who sensed that the states may not be able to meet up with their contributions.

He stated this during an audience with Under-Secretary-General and Executive-Director, United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin in Abuja.

Adewole recalled that the Finance Minister had pledged upon assuming office that the primary health care centres would be made available by President Buhari-led government within four years, and that the nation’s health systems would be driven through it.

He however said that Adeosun should not be held responsible for the cancellation, because with the turn of event in the country, she was worried that the states may not be able to fulfil their part of the contributions. This, Adeosun said will be a burden on the Federal Government.

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The Minister had on Tuesday assured the country that government would harmonize various departments in the ministry for effective performance.

He said most of the health projects in the country are funded by sponsors, and that the best way to show seriousness as a government, and appreciate such aids is to expend the funds through a well-coordinated channel.

“Truly, we came up with the agenda of revitalizing one PHC per political ward, that would lead us to ensuring 1000 PHCs are in place. But, then, there is a problem. Government set up an inter-ministerial committee. At our first meeting, it was obvious, the Minister of Finance said ‘wait a minute, when you take this up, the local government and states will abandon its responsibility. And, when they abandon it for you, you are in trouble.

“About 40 per cent of the resources go into personnel cost. So, if you want to bear the responsibility of the resources, you want to bear responsibility for commodities, then, what exactly will the states be doing?” He said.

By Ebere Ndukwu …

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