FG releases N1.55trillion to revive primary healthcare

The Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole has said that the Federal Government, last week released no less than N1.55trillion for the revival and upgrade of the moribund primary healthcare sector across the country.
From the sum, N420 million was given to each of the 36 states across the country and the Federal Capital Territory to revitalise healthcare delivery at the primary level in all the states of the federation and the FCT.
Speaking on the purpose of the fund, Adewole explained that the money, a seed money from FG to the states, was to help states bring back to life, primary healthcare centres in their domains, with the aim of reversing the high influx of people that besiege the tertiary hospitals in search of healthcare.
The Minister made the disclosure in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital while speaking with journalists shortly after paying a working visit to University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.
He said the states that perform well in the utilisation of the fund would be given more money in the subsequent years as a way of compensating them for job well done.
While assuring that the UCH was capable of handling any medical case with its available manpower and facilities, the former University of Ibadan Vice Chancellor, however, disclosed that the FG has picked the premier hospital as one of the seven health facilities to be upgraded this year, to boost the achievements of the health institution.
He expressed the belief that the hospital was in best position to reverse medical tourism based on the available manpower and facilities he met in the hospital.
Adewole, who used the occasion to commission the Total Quality Management unit in the hospital, also paid visit to various departments such as NHIS desk, UCH PPP lab, wards, theaters and Intensive Care Unit in the hospital and the Kola Daisi Foundation centre for primary and community health.
UCH Chief Medical Director, Professor Temitope Alonge described the visit of the erstwhile provost of the college of medicine, UCH, as a homecoming.