In a significant move to reposition its health sector, the Kogi state government has commenced the upgrade of an additional 88 primary healthcare centres across its twenty-one local government areas.
Speaking at a ceremony to hand over sites of the primary healthcare centres to contractors at the Model Primary Healthcare Centre in Felele, Lokoja on Saturday, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo said the state government will spend more than 7 Billion Naira to revamp the 88 PHCs.
Represented by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abdulazeez Adams, the governor noted that the revitalization of the Primary Healthcare Centres follows the commencement of the revitalization of over 70 Primary Healthcare Centres which are already at various stages of completion following approval by the state government in March, 2024.
He noted that the revamping of the PHCs which will upgrade over 150 of such institutions in the state to functional level-2 health facilities reflects the commitment of his administration to enhance access to healthcare delivery.
“As we step into the New Year 2025, we are proud to launch a groundbreaking initiative—the upgrade of 88 additional Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the state, complementing the ongoing upgrade of 70 PHCs to functional Level-2 facilities.
“This marks another bold step towards achieving effective healthcare delivery and universal health coverage for our people.
“With the invaluable support of the World Bank, the Kogi State Government has committed over ₦7 billion to this project, a testament to our unwavering dedication to improving the lives of our citizens”, Ododo said.
The governor expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his visionary leadership that accords utmost priority to the wellbeing of ordinary Nigerians through enhanced access to healthcare, especially for people at the grassroots level.
He also acknowledged efforts by the immediate past administration of former Governor Yahaha Bello for laying a solid foundation in the health sector in the state.
He called on the contractors to adhere to the highest standards of professionalism in the execution of the projects and to ensure their timely completion within four months.
