How capital expenditure of N129,000 for Primary Healthcare Development Agency in Kogi for 15 months poses danger

By solacebase.com On Jul 21, 2024

Kogi govt, PHCs,Flooding, SolaceBase, primary healthcare, expenditure — Kogi Gov. Usman Ododo

By Aminu Abubakar

A review of the capital expenditure of Kogi state by SolaceBase has shown that the state spent the sum of N129,000 on capital expenditure for its Primary Healthcare Development Agency between 2023 and the first quarter of 2024.

One of the functions listed for the Kogi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency is to revive and strengthen the PHC system as part of an integrated network of care that brings service delivery closer to individuals, families and communities, however, figures posted as capital expenditure may raise questions on its ability to meet this need.

In 2024, the state budgeted the sum of N451 million on capital expenditure for the primary healthcare agency but did not spend any money in the first three months of the year, according to SolaceBase investigation.

In 2023, the state spent only N129,000 despite budgeting N56 million for the capital needs of its primary healthcare development agency.

This development comes despite needs of healthcare in rural areas of the state.

Kogi was one of the states hit by flooding in 2022 and one of those listed to suffer from flooding in 2024. The flooding led to deaths and loss of properties, a situation that usually required healthcare emergencies, especially in rural areas.

In the same year when flooding occurred in Kogi state, only N74 million was spent on the capital needs of its primary healthcare development agency.

A report by Connected Development shows that only 38% of PHCs in Kogi state have access to water, and only 38% are connected to the national grid.

According to a global data lab, under-five mortality in Kogi state stands at 49.3%, 20.1% of children are stunted, and the percentage of wasted children stands at 4.10%. Most of these classes rely on the primary healthcare system for access to health.

Perhaps oblivious of the issue is why the state governor, Usman Ododo announced the rehabilitation of 70 PHCs across the state, event that precedents in terms of financial commitment to these kinds of promises raise dire concerns.

Just in March 2024, the state government promised to establish 63 primary health centres in the state.

The recent cholera outbreak was also discovered in Kogi, forcing the state to set up a response team, yet primary health centres that give hope to rural populations seem neglected based on data.

Already, 87% of households in Kogi are deprived access to sanitary facilities , 61% are deprived access to clean drinking water, time to healthcare in Kogi is 42.6, meaning that the state needs a working healthcare system to tackle these challenges.

Already, experts have called on the state government to prioritize financial commitments to its many promises on healthcare delivery for state residents.