The Zamfara State government, in collaboration with other partners, is renovating 144 primary healthcare centers across the state to improve access to quality healthcare.
Executive Secretary, Zamfara State Primary Health Care Board, Dr. Husaini Yakubu, announced when he visited Yandoton Daji PHC in Tsafe Local Government Area of the state.
Dr Yakubu said the purpose of his visit was to assess the condition of the facility for proposed renovation, equipment upgrades, and expansions.
According to him, the renovation of the primary healthcare center would be a collaborative effort, stressing that the IMPACT Project will renovate 62 health facilities, the Zamfara State Primary Health Care Board (ZSPHCB) will renovate 4 health facilities, and the Constituency Project will renovate 18 health facilities.
He further revealed that the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) will renovate 11 health facilities, among others.
Dr Yakubu warned that absenteeism of workers would not be tolerated, saying that anyone who cannot comply should resign, as many people are eager to join the civil service.
The Executive Secretary emphasized that, henceforth, any officer found to be negligent will face disciplinary action.
In a statement by the information officer, Ministry of Health. Sulaiman Isah expressed gratitude to Governor Dauda Lawal for his support of the state’s health sector and commended Commissioner of Health Dr. Nafisa Muhammad Maradun for her leadership.
Insecurity has also hampered the development of PHC in Zamfara State. In October 2023, Husaini Anka, the Executive Secretary of the State Primary Healthcare Board, said about 500 PHCs were not functioning due to insecurity.
According to him, out of over 700 PHCs in the state, only about 200 were accessible, while the remaining 500 were not functioning due to insecurity.
Primary Health Care (PHC) in Nigeria faces significant challenges, with only about 20% of the approximately 30,000 PHC facilities fully functional.
The remaining facilities struggle to provide essential services due to issues such as inadequate staffing, poor infrastructure, and lack of essential drugs.
In 2017, the Nigerian government initiated a plan to revitalize over 10,000 PHC centers nationwide to address these challenges.
Despite these efforts, progress has been slow, and many facilities remain under-resourced.
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