The Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria (PSHAN) and the Edo State Government have signed a tripartite agreement to revitalize 18 Primary Health Care Centres in the state through the Adopt-A-HealthCare-Facility-Programme (ADHFP).
The ADHFP is a ground-breaking initiative developed by PSHAN, which seeks to establish one world-class primary healthcare centre in each of Nigeria’s 774 Local Government Areas, increasing access to affordable quality primary healthcare across the country. The Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation has committed to adopting 23 primary healthcare centres, at a cost of N2.3 billion. This investment will ensure that the adopted healthcare centres have the right equipment, medical staff and drugs to provide comprehensive healthcare services to their communities for a five-year period.
The agreement was signed on Monday in Benin City with the leadership of the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation and PSHAN and key representatives of the Edo State Government. These include the Secretary to the State Government of Edo State, Mr Osarodion Ogie Esq; the Edo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Samuel Alli; the Executive Secretary of the Edo State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Omosigho Izedonmwen and other senior public health officials.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, the Executive Vice-Chair of the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, Ofovwe Aig-Imoukhuede, stated that 85% of healthcare centres in Nigeria are primary healthcare centres and of this number only 20% are functional. This is an alarming statistic that underscores a profound gap in healthcare delivery, especially at the grassroots level. She stated that the private sector can contribute its resources, expertise and innovation to collaborate with the government to improve access to healthcare. She expressed her gratitude to the Edo State Government for recognising the role that private sector investment can bring to the healthcare space and thanked them for their support in ensuring that the programme is rolled out in Edo State.
Representing the Governor of Edo State, the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Osarodion Ogie, noted in his address that the Foundation’s decision to adopt primary healthcare centres is a clear indication of its quest to improve the lives of Nigerians, as primary healthcare centres are the facilities that are closest to every citizen. He affirmed the Edo State government’s commitment to public/private sector collaborations, as this would allow for private sector efficiency to be brought into the public sector. He thanked the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation for adopting 18 healthcare facilities in Edo state and looked forward to the impact that the initiative would have on the lives of the Edo citizens.
Managing Director of PSHAN, Dr Tinuola Akinbolagbe, thanked the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation for its commitment of not just financial resources to the ADHFP initiative, but also other critical elements such as technical support, capacity building, monitoring, and evaluation. She stated that since last year, PSHAN had already commenced the revitalization of primary healthcare centres in Delta, Bauchi and Rivers States under the ADHFP initiative and given the support proffered by the Edo State government to the project, she was confident that the same success would be replicated in Edo State.
The signing ceremony ended with a tour of the Edo State School of Health Technology and a primary healthcare centre in Oredo LGA, which has just been refurbished by the State government.
