ENUGU — Prof. George Ugwu, Enugu State Commissioner for Health, has called for an increase in the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) from one per cent to five per cent of the Federal Government’s Consolidated Revenue Fund.
Ugwu made the call while delivering the 251st Inaugural Lecture of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), titled, “The Mother, the Child and the State: My Triumphant Journey from Evidence to Action,” at the University of Nigeria Enugu Campus.
The professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology said the increase had become necessary following the withdrawal of funding support for basic healthcare by some donor countries, agencies and organisations.
He said the existing one-per-cent funding, together with donor support, had helped states improve the condition of their primary healthcare centres, but warned that declining external funding could create significant gaps.
Ugwu said stronger funding would enable Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) to remain resilient, adequately equipped and accessible, particularly to pregnant women and children who constitute a large proportion of primary healthcare users.
He said effective primary healthcare would ensure that health problems were detected and treated early at the grassroots, thereby reducing pressure on secondary and tertiary health facilities and lowering healthcare costs.
The commissioner also advocated increased health education and advocacy to promote preventive healthcare and healthier lifestyles, stressing the importance of prevention in reducing the burden of disease.
