By Festus Fifen.

As Nigeria makes concerted efforts to bridge the Gap in Health Care provision for its citizens, the outgoing Mandate Secretary of Federal Capital Territory Health and Human Service Secretariat (HHSS) Dr. Abu Bakar Tafida has hinted that the FCT Administration requires about 22 billion Dollars to close the funding gap of Primary Health Care (PHC)in the nation’s capital out of which he said USAID has supported with a total sum of 14bn.

Dr. Tafida who stated this while briefing newsmen over the weekend said this became imperative as the health facilities targeted to serve about 2 million Nigerians resident in the Nigeria Capital are now being overstretched to serve over 6 million FCT residents.

He said the Health and Human Service Secretariat (HHSS) in collaboration with international partners came up with a system where philanthropists and spirited individuals can help to revitalize PHC through their moral support.

According to him: It is not that FCTA is not doing their best, they have revitalized about 83 of the Primary Health Care , we have 154 functional PHC in FCT with at least 83 in minimum operations. They procured $ 2.4M worth of drugs and consumables which had been given to the secretariat.

In his Words, ” there have been a lot of interventions in the FCT, which includes the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund component which translates to mean one ward one PHC and we have 62 wards in the six Area Councils

“We are currently developing new structures in Primary Health Care centers all in an effort to ensure that services provided are standard.

” We are soliciting support from various organizations and international partners and individuals to come and look at the status of the PHC and revitalize them, we are not asking for money.You can choose one, or ten and support it. We want to drill a borehole so that there can be water for women and children use.

“But the truth is that there has been so much investment in the health sector especially on the FCT as recent as providing drugs and consumables. $4 million going forward we need to look at the status of this primary health centers. Asking someone to provide a website where anybody who is interested in watching can go through the plight in the primary health center and decided to provide manpower support, provide anything that will improve the quality of care in that facility.

“On behalf of the less privileged people in the FCT. The privileged citizens can look at the state of the system not necessarily within the city and decide which of the PHCs they can choose and be involved in a number of a commitment to our support.

“There has been the basic health care provision component that has been introduced by the federal government. There are been three components. We have the Primary Health Care aspect, we have health insurance aspects, and we have the emergency medical services aspect both of them are working”, he said.