Niger lawmakers uncover alleged mismanagement of PHC funds

The Niger State House of Assembly Committee on Health and Nutrition says it has uncovered a mismanagement of primary healthcare (PHC) funds by some healthcare officials in the state.

The chairman of the committee, Umar Nasir (APC-Paikoro), said this on Friday at a two-day interface with the 25 local government directors of health facilities in the state.

Mr Nasir alleged that some officers in charge of the funds withdrew money from the state government account into their personal accounts before utilisation.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the findings followed a petition from a social media radio station to the committee.

The radio station alleged that over N300,000 quarterly funding by NiCARE for enrollees to Baruwa Primary Healthcare (PHC) centre in Wushishi Local Government may have been embezzled.

According to the petition, the funds were allegedly diverted for personal use by some PHC officers and other unauthorised individuals.

Mr Nasir said the committee would no longer tolerate this process and advised that transactions be done directly from the government accounts to wherever they want to utilise the money.

He said the committee wondered why some officers were allegedly aware of such shady transactions while few others, who were supposed to be part of the fund utilisation, were unaware of it.

Mr Nasir said the committee’s findings would be forwarded to the ministry and those involved in the alleged mismanagement would face the consequences.

He, however, said the legislature was performing its oversight functions, adding that the interface was not to witch-hunt anyone.

Meanwhile, Inuwa Junaidu, director, Health Planning Research and Statistics, Niger Ministry for Primary Healthcare, said the fund was established by the National Health Act 2014.

Mr Junaidu said the fund was to ensure every Nigerian got the basic minimum service of the Federal Government healthcare intervention.

He urged the directors of health in the focal primary healthcare facilities to ensure that the fund was used for its intended purpose.

Amina Musa, director of primary healthcare in Mashegu, said the interface had engineered the directors to know where their mistakes were and how to correct them.

(NAN)