Nigeria to build 10,000 health facilities in 774 councils

The Nigeria Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, has advised health workers to put service delivery above personal interest.

He also said that 10,000 primary health facilities would be built in the 774 local government areas across the country for effective service delivery and to reduce pressure on tertiary institutions.

Adewole spoke on Monday at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti while inaugurating 12 projects initiated and completed by the Chief Medical Director, Dr. Majekodunmi Ayodele.

He said, “It is unfortunate that our national hospitals are better known for strikes rather than services. The human factor is the most important, we should learn to put services above all other considerations in our agitations as medical practitioners because some of the cases I have handled in recent times were more of how to get more pay and not about commitment.

“Those engaging in the fuelling of crises in federal health institutions are those fighting to replace the present occupier of the seats of CMDs. But I want to warn that they should wait for their time.”

While commending the CMD for his achievements, the minister assured Nigerians that President Muhammadu Buhari was ready to increase access to quality healthcare at all levels.

“The tertiary institutions are not meant to treat malaria or skin rashes, but to attend to critical issues. We are determined to take away over 70 per cent of patients from the teaching hospitals, but the heads of tertiary institutions must find a way to relate freely with these cadres for effective healthcare delivery.

“We won’t abandon those cadres, so that the sequence of referral could be protected.”