Kwara State has secured World Bank funding to support infrastructure upgrades in at least one primary healthcare facility in each of the 193 wards of the state, the Executive Secretary of the state Health Care Development Agency, Dr Nusirat Elelu, has said.

Elelu revealed in a statement issued on Sunday that the sum of N887.8 million support comes under the Immunisation Plus and Malaria Progress by Accelerating Coverage and Transforming Services project, for which the government has paid a counterpart fund.

The Executive Secretary while attributing the release of the funds to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s constant payment of counterpart funds for different healthcare services said that the governor will formally launch the programme on Monday, January 23, 2023, where cheques will be presented to the benefitting PHCs across the state.

“In the pursuance of Universal Health coverage for Kwarans and repositioning the Primary HealthCare system to be able to meet the demands of all and sundry, the Kwara State Government along with 13 other states have secured a facility to strengthen Primary Health Care centres across the state,” according to the statement.

“This support is coming through the World Bank assisted- IMPACT project through a Decentralised Facility Financing, with an initial disbursement of Investment funds to one Primary Health Care Centre in each of the 193 geopolitical wards in Kwara State.

“This initial investment fund is meant to support the PHCs to achieve an ideal level 2 Primary HealthCare centre, that has the capacity to provide the basic minimum package of health services.

“The utilisation of these funds will be governed by a work plan developed by the health facility staff in conjunction with the Ward Development Committee, to be approved by the Kwara State Primary HealthCare Development Agency.

“This plan will take care of basic needs in the health centre, such as infrastructural upgrades, equipment, drugs, consumables, clean water sources, and security, based on identified needs.

“Furthermore, through the DFF mechanism, operational funds will subsequently be transferred quarterly to these 193 PHCs to meet the day-to-day running of the benefitting health centres.

“The quarterly operational fund will be jointly administered by both the Ward Development Committee Chairmen and the Officer in charge of the PHCs to foster transparency and accountability.

“Oversight will also be jointly provided by the National Primary HealthCare Development Agency, State Primary HealthCare Development Agency, LGA Health Authority, and the World Bank.

“Prior to the receipt of this support from the World Bank, His Excellency the Executive Governor of Kwara State expressed interest in getting the support for Primary HealthCare Centres in the state and paid the required counterpart fund for the state to be eligible.

“With this support, health centres will improve in infrastructure and quality-of-service delivery.

“The fund will go a long way in reducing under-five and maternal morbidity and mortality in the state and help to rapidly improve coverage of key maternal and child health interventions.

“Kwarans are welcome to a new era of improved Primary Health Care services.”