Condition of Primary Health Care (PHC) Delivery in Oyo State

Note: The provision of health care at PHC level is largely the responsibility of local governments with the support of state ministries of health and within the overall national health policy (Nigeria Constitution, 1999). Quality health is a fundamental right of all citizens. Primary health care (PHC) which is the first level of contact for individuals, the family, and the community to address the main health problems in the community, providing health promotion, preventive, curative, and rehabilitative services , are not available to all local governments in Oyo State. Many people in Oyo State are at risk of falling into poverty due to out-of-pocket health spending. of more of their household budget. Primary health care, which is supposed to be the bedrock of the state and health care policy is currently catering to a small number of potential patients. While most PHC facilities are in various states of disrepair, with equipment and infrastructure being either absent or obsolete, the referral system is almost non-existent. The reason is that the primary health care system has deteriorated to an unacceptable level coupled with ineffective management in Oyo State. For universal health coverage (UHC) to be truly universal in Oyo State, a shift is needed from health systems designed around diseases and institutions to health systems designed for people, with people. PHC requires governments to underscore the importance of action beyond the health sector in order to pursue a whole-of-government approach to health, including health-in- all-policies, a strong focus on equity, and interventions that encompass the entire life course. The health services, based on PHC, include, among other things, education concerning prevailing health problems and the methods of preventing and controlling them, promotion of food supply and proper nutrition, equipment and child care, including family planning and immunization against the major infectious diseases, prevention and control of locally endemic and epidemic diseases and provision of essential drugs and supplies. All these features are entirely absent in the context of the Oyo State Primary Health Care Delivery. One of the major hindrances to the development of PHC is the insufficient number of medical personnel as well as their uneven distribution. The solution to this perennial health problem is to scale up PHC interventions among target groups across the state in order to save many lives and increase average life expectancy. In conclusion, nothing to show for the huge amount of public funds wasted on the project.

The Impact of Primary Health Care in the Grassroots

Public health requires both preventive and curative measures. Preventive measures ensures cleanliness and sanitation, the provision, most especially, in the formative years of childhood, the care and feeding which strengthens the body's resistance against diseases. This is in addition to curative measures that facilitates treatment from diseases.

The Health departments of Local Governments have been found wanting as regards the above mentioned, even though there are regular advancements in social conscience and medical knowledge. The unavailability of supply of potable water in several communities in Local Governments is a major challenge. Residents resort to doubtful sources to meet their water needs. Constructed boreholes are yet to meet the expectations of the people. Most communities are dirty and unkempt as a result of the docile nature of Local Government workers. Refuse are dumped indiscriminately and everyone carry on as if all is well. Children and expectant Mothers have tales of woes to tell at the Primary Health Care centers, while Governments at all levels keep mum.

The dearth of qualified Medical Professionals in several Local Government Areas of the Federation is a set back, even as the reduction of the incidence of malaria by 80 per cent is a mirage. Indeed, the Primary Health Care program ought to be the cornerstone of the health policy of a focused administration, however, the lack of appropriate skills by primary health workers is just one among the several pointers that this is not so.