Kwara secures World Bank N887m projects fund

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

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

While attributing the release of the funds to Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s constant payment of counterpart funds for different healthcare services, Elelu said that the governor would formally launch the programme on Monday, where cheques would be presented to the benefitting PHCs across the state.

The statement said, “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.

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“This support is coming through the World Bank assisted- IMPACT project through a Decentralised Facility Financing, with an initial disbursement of the investment fund 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 two 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.”

It added,  “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.”