LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PRIMARY HEALTHCARE DELIVERY IN NIGERIA

INTERROGATING THE EFFECT OF STATE JOINT LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACCOUNT

Abstract

Overtime, the Nigerian government has made conscious efforts to  decentralize the healthcare system so as to address both preventive and curative healthcare challenges particularly at the localities. This gave rise to the establishment of the primary healthcare sector to ensure that healthcare delivery was stepped down to the rural communities to address their health challenges. Unfortunately, much progress has not been made in that regard as indicators of quality primary healthcare delivery have continued to nosedive. This study is undertaken to examine the effect of state joint local government account on the ability of local government to provide healthcare needs at the localities in Nigeria. Efficiency-services theory propounded by Mackenzie (1961) was adopted even as the study was content analyzed using data generated from the secondary sources such as articles from reputable journals, official publications, texts and other verifiable internet sources. The study revealed that manipulation and abuse of the state joint local government account by the state government has vitiated the efforts of local government towards addressing the health concerns of the people at the grassroots. In the light of the foregoing, the study recommended, among others, that the joint account should be scrapped by the national assembly via constitutional amendment and that the state government should enter into a joint project with the local government in the area ofquality primary healthcare delivery to reverse the ugly health outcomes in our communities.