The Tuberculosis Network State Advocacy Team (SAT) has expressed concerns over the funding challenge in Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs) in Anambra state, despite various funding streams and support interventions from government agencies and partners.
The State Program Officer, Onyekachi Ololo, stated this in his presentation on PHC Funding and Service Delivery Gaps during an advocacy visit to Planning, Research and Statistics (PRS) at the Ministry of Health as part of ongoing strategic stakeholder engagement and advocacy under the Integrated Community-Led Monitoring (CLM) Project.
He identified the need for strengthened research and documentation on the patterns and trends of the three major disease areas, AIDS, TB, and Malaria, especially at the community level, where service delivery is most fragile and data gaps are more prevalent.
Ololo noted that despite various funding streams and support interventions from government agencies and partners, PHCs in the state remain significantly underfunded.
This persistent underfunding, he said, is reflected in the overall performance of PHCs, including service output, quality of care, and availability of essential resources.
Ololo advocated for PRS support in strengthening efforts, including operational research on ATM service delivery outcomes, documentation of community-level disease burden trends, facility-level data collection processes, and evidence-based reporting mechanisms to support improved planning and decision-making.
He also highlighted that to effectively showcase and strengthen grassroots accountability, the TB Network currently has nine (9) active members working across three (3) Local Government Areas – Onitsha North, Idemili North, and Dunukofia.
He further stated that the project is being implemented in nine (9) communities and nine (9) PHCs, where Community-Led Monitors are working directly with community members and PHC stakeholders to promote community ownership and responsibility for PHC performance.
According to him, the advocacy engagement aimed to strengthen collaboration with the Ministry of Health, particularly the PRS Department, to promote improved health service delivery, evidence-based planning, and stronger data-driven policy implementation across Primary Health Care Centers (PHCs) in Anambra State.
“The visit was also designed to deepen government buy-in and secure institutional partnerships for addressing service delivery gaps in ATM service areas; AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria – through community-driven accountability mechanisms.
“The objectives of the advocacy visit were to officially introduce the Integrated CLM Project, supported by IHVN, and implemented through the Anambra State TB Network; present the scope and operational strategy of the project, especially its focus on strengthening PHC service delivery in the ATM disease areas (AIDS, TB, and Malaria).
“The visit was also to advocate for collaboration and partnership with the PRS Department in improving health data systems, research operations, and documentation; seek technical support from the PRS office for evidence generation and policy-responsive planning to improve healthcare outcomes in PHCs as well as establish a feedback and engagement channel for reporting facility-level observations to inform planning and budget decisions,” he said.
Earlier, Anambra State TB Network and the State Project Coordinator, Mrs. Ify Unachukwu, informed the Director PRS that the Integrated CLM Project is supported by the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) as part of efforts to strengthen accountability, responsiveness, and service quality in the delivery of healthcare services for AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (ATM).
She explained that the project deploys Community-Led Monitors (CLMs) trained community actors who work with local stakeholders to monitor service delivery performance, identify gaps, document evidence, and engage duty bearers to drive improvements in PHC services.
Responding, the Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics at the Ministry, Mr. John Paul Onyekinaso, appreciated the team for the advocacy visit and commended the TB Network and its partners for supporting health system improvement through community participation and accountability.
He acknowledged that although he was recently appointed into the position, he was pleased with the clarity of the project objectives and the strategic approach of engaging communities to improve health service delivery.
Expressing satisfaction with the current data collection, documentation, and reporting systems within the Ministry of Health, Onyekinaso noted that the PRS Department maintained a structured culture of documentation and data display and commended the staff for their dedication and professionalism.
He further stated that health data within the Ministry is available, accessible, and open to stakeholders, noting that such transparency supports improved planning, accountability, and performance monitoring.
Other outcomes were recognition of the CLM strategy as a practical accountability approach for improving ATM service delivery in PHCs; commitment secured from the Director PRS to support and collaborate with the project team; agreement that facility-level evidence and observations should be shared with PRS to support planning and budgeting as well as reinforcement of the importance of quality health data for policy decisions and improved healthcare governance.
The advocacy engagement strengthened prospects for institutional partnership between the Ministry and the Anambra State TB Network, while reinforcing the importance of quality health data, community monitoring, and evidence-based planning to improve PHC performance in AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria service delivery.
