The loss of human resources for health to brain drain is affecting primary health care service (PHC) delivery in many rural communities of the country, particularly for maternal and child health services.
By Ojoma Akor (Abuja), Abubakar Akote (Minna), Haruna Gimba Yaya (Gombe), Mumini AbdulKareem (Ilorin) & Eyo Charles (Calabar)
Daily Trust on Sunday reports that a lot of nurses and midwives, medical doctors, and other health care workers have either migrated out of the country for greener pastures or from rural health centers to secondary and tertiary hospitals in urban areas in the last few years, causing a dearth of the needed manpower at the facilities.
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Investigations also revealed that the challenges of human resources for health are affecting the rollout of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) at the various PHCs.
The BHCPF is a federal and state-funded initiative. It is a key component of the National Health Act 2014 and has the objective of ensuring the provision of a basic minimum health package for Nigerians, strengthening the primary health care system, and providing emergency medical treatment.
It is derived from a minimum of one percent of the federal government’s Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF). At the PHCs, those enrolled in the BHCPF are covered to receive antenatal care, delivery, and postnatal care for pregnant women, as well as immunizations and treatment for malaria, pneumonia, measles, and dysentery for children under five.
Read more: https://dailytrust.com/brain-drain-dearth-of-midwives-others-frustrates-healthcare-in-rural-nigeria
