By Chris Chikelue
Anambra State Lawmakers have recommended that more be done to put all Primary Healthcare Centres in the state in good form for optimum services especially to the rural populace.
The Lawmakers made these resolution at the State Assembly Complex Awka on Friday, September 18, 2026.
This follows the recommendation of the House of Assembly Committee on Public Accounts led by Hon. Noble Igwe, through its performance audit report of Primary Healthcare Centres in the state that government should recruit, train and equitably deploy more qualified healthcare personnel to all primary healthcare centres across the state and equally revamp the facilities for the benefit of the people.
While speaking on the motion, Hon. Golden Chukwuebuka Iloh, who represents Ihiala 2 State Constituency, said that the Primary Healthcare Centres in his constituency are in very bad shape and he recalled that the PHCs were occupied by criminals during the dark days of insecurity and were all vandalised.
He said that Lilu and Osumoghu PHCs were burnt down by criminal elements and that Isseke and Okija PHCs equally suffered the same fate, adding that his constituents are in dire need of the health centres.
While commending the state government on the condition of PHCs in Ogbaru LGA, Hon. Noble Igwe representing Ogbaru 1 state constituency said that the PHCs in the area especially the Okpoko Secretariat PHC, PHC East Niger, PHC Okpoko ward 1 and St. Luke’s Anglican Church PHCs are very functional but require more priority attention.
Speaking on the condition of PHCs in Nnewi South LGA, Hon. Nonso Atuchukwu representing Nnewi-South 1 Constituency expressed worry that the primary healthcare centre in Amichi community is being underutilized.
He emphasized that the presence and prevalence of private hospitals and medical centres where people are taken care of free of charge has kept the primary healthcare facility in the community underutilized.
The lawmakers equally recommended that adequate budgetary provisions and timely release of funds should be ensured for the procurement of essential medicines, medical equipment as well as routine maintenance of the facilities.
They were of the opinion that the management and utilisation of the Basic Healthcare Provision Funds should be strengthened for the sake of improved transparency, accountability and periodic reporting to ensure that resources are utilised for their intended purposes.
The lawmakers also recommended that the Anambra State Health Insurance Agency should as a matter of urgency review its drug procurement and distribution framework to ensure that essential medicines required for first line treatment at PHCs are consistently available.
According to the committee, recommendations were put that functional water supply, reliable electricity, adequate sanitation facilities, effective waste disposal system and appropriate security measures should be provided in all the primary healthcare facilities.
“That monitoring, supervision and internal control mechanism should be strengthened to improve accountability, transparency and service delivery.
“They recommended that regular maintenance of renovated health facility should be institutionalized to preserve government investments as well as ensure sustainability. That healthcare workers should undergo continuous professional trainings and capacity building programmes to enhance competence and improve patients’ care and keep pace with modern healthcare practices.
“The Honourable members believe that periodic performance evaluation should be conducted to ensure efficiency, effectiveness and value for money in primary healthcare service delivery. That the Anambra State Primary Healthcare Department Agency should strengthen its performance monitoring framework to ensure the full implementation of the recommendation contained in the report.
“That interested indigenes should be trained as nurses and healthcare givers and subsequently employ them to serve in their localities as it would help bridge the gap of job abscondment.”
