Challenges of Local Government in the Provision of Primary Health Care Services in Ebonyi State. Nigeria

Rural areas in Nigeria including Ebonyi State, suffer from development challenges. One of these challenges is inadequate provision of primary healthcare services to the people. This ugly condition has worsened the case of infant and maternal mortalities in Nigeria and Ebonyi State in particular and this demands urgent attention of the local governments as well as other key development partners in order to address the challenge and improve the standard of living of people at the grassroots. It is based on this that this study investigated the challenges of local government in the provision of primary healthcare services in Ebonyi State. Data were sourced from text books, journals, and internet and library materials. As a qualitative study, content and narrative techniques were adopted to analyze the study. The study revealed that minimum standards set for provision of primary healthcare service delivery have not been met in Ebonyi State; hence, local governments in the study area have not optimally contributed to reduction of infant and maternal mortalities due to certain factors which include: poor healthcare financing, dilapidated primary healthcare infrastructure, shortage of qualified healthcare personnel, corruption in the healthcare sector, and lack of broad-based data bank for beneficiaries of primary healthcare services in the area. The paper therefore recommended proper funding of primary healthcare centres in Ebonyi State in line with the international and national benchmarks. This can be achieved through increased budgetary allocations by granting financial autonomy to local governments; more hospitals and clinics should be provided to increase access to health care facilities; there is also urgent need for massive recruitment of qualified healthcare personnel in the study area to among other things improve the quality of healthcare services available to the people in the localities.