Cholera: APC chieftain urges effective utilisation of N260bn PHCs revitalisation fund

Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says the release of N260 billion Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) revitalisation fund by the Federal Government is timely following recent cholera outbreak in the country.
Oyintiloye, in a chat with newsmen on Sunday in Osogbo, said that with the recent outbreak of cholera in the country, primary healthcare centres must be well equipped to rescue the situation.
According to him, many PHCs in the country lack the capacity to provide essential health care services with the challenges of inadequate equipment, poor conditions of service, lack of essential drugs, among others.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, had on May 24, said N260 billion had been earmarked for the revitalisation of PHCs across the country.
According to Pate, the N260 billion is currently available at the state level “for the revitalisation of their primary healthcare centres.”
Oyintiloye, however, appealed to state governors not to divert the money, but to use it wisely to equip the PHCs in their states to curb the spread of cholera outbreak and other diseases.
He said with the recent report that death toll from cholera outbreak has hits 40, PHCs which is always the first point of call for people in the period of emergency, must be strengthened.
The APC chieftain said the disclosure by the minister that plans were underway to expand the PHCs from 8,300 to 17,000 through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and make them functional to deliver essential services, was also commendable.