Tinubu establishes national health fellows programme to track PHCs’ performance

Akinwande Soji-Ojo

President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of national health fellows programme as part of measures to improve service delivery at primary healthcare centres.

A statement issued on Monday by presidential spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, said the programme will engage young Nigerians in all the 774 local government Areas to monitor and track primary healthcare centre development and performance.

“The well-trained fellows will serve as fiduciary agents to monitor and track Primary Healthcare Centre development and performance, which is to be assiduously measured against all financial inflows to the centres nationwide.

“The fellowship programme will be domiciled in the Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) coordination office under the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

“The fellows will be recruited, renumerated, and equipped with appropriate tools to track the performance of Basic Health Care Provision Fund-supported health facilities nationwide.

“President Tinubu, who is the African Union Champion for Human Resources in Healthcare, places faith in young Nigerians and expects that their engagement in this critical nation-building task, which also includes a daily monitoring and tracking of health reforms in their locations, will usher in a new era of world-class service provision to all Nigerians in every part of the country,” he said.

Recall that Tinubu had on December 12, 2023, for a comprehensive revamp of physical infrastructure, equipment and the re-training of frontline health workers, starting in 2024.