​‌‌‍‌​⁠‍⁠⁠‍‌‍‌​⁠⁠By Kemi Akintokun

Dr Kemi Ogunyemi, Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor, has urged healthcare administrators to explore innovative ways to harness untapped resources at the Primary Health Centres (PHCs) within the state.

Ogunyemi made this known at an ongoing three-day 2026 Strategic Management Retreat organised by the Lagos State Health District One (LSHD1) in Lagos .

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the retreat which commenced on Thursday has the theme “From Constraints to Creativity; Harnessing Untapped Resources at Primary Health Centres”.

According to her, PHCs remain the foundation of the health system, stressing the need for health administrators to explore opportunities to improve the quality and accessibility of care.

She noted that they provided an opportunity for healthcare leaders to build on existing achievements, identify areas for improvement and explore ways of strengthening healthcare delivery.

The Special Adviser noted that community members, including traditional rulers, faith-based organisations , market women among others should be involved in decisions concerning healthcare delivery at PHCs.

Ogunyemi said that community participation would enable healthcare providers to understand people’s needs, identify challenges and develop solutions collaboratively.

“Community engagement is key if we truly want to harness the untapped resources at the various PHCs to enhance healthcare delivery at the grassroots..

“When we engage the community, they tell us what they want, and we can also tell them some of our challenges, which they can also help address,” she said.

Ogunyemi commended the Permanent Secretary of the district, Dr Sola Pitan, and his team for organising the retreat, describing its theme as crucial and an opportunity to restrategise..

She also stressed the importance of recognising healthcare workers, describing them as essential to the delivery of quality patient care.

“Without the health workers, there’s no system. Every single one of them, from the doctors, driver to the security, they all make an impact on the patient’s journey,

“There’s always room for improvement and also the fact that government itself cannot do it all,” she said.

Ogunyemi commended the six health districts in Lagos for their contributions to healthcare delivery, saying continuous innovation, collaboration and strategic planning were necessary to improve healthcare services.

Speaking earlier, Dr Sola Pitan, the Permanent Secretary of LSHD1 said the retreat aimed to develop strategies for improving healthcare delivery by identifying available resources and exploring creative ways to address existing challenges.

He noted that conventional funding sources, including government budgets and support from local/international organisations were insufficient to address the challenges facing primary healthcare centres.

“We need to come together as providers, as people, as professionals to look around us, to think through what resources we have.

“The recent global developments have also affected funding from donors and this is why it is necessary for us to explore alternative resources to strengthen healthcare delivery at PHCs level,” he said.

Pitan identified community members, traditional rulers, faith-based organisations and corporate bodies as potential partners in strengthening PHCs through support for primary healthcare centres and communities.

The permanent secretary said the district intended to adopt technology and innovative approaches, including telemedicine and electronic medical systems, to improve service delivery in spite of limited resources.

He said the retreat would also avail health workers opportunity to contribute ideas toward developing a roadmap for achieving the district’s strategic objectives for 2027.

“Nobody knows it all. We want to hear from our personnel. We want to be able to brainstorm and then be able to come together with great ideas that we all contributed to,” he said.

Pitan said the district would continue to strengthen collaboration between primary and secondary healthcare facilities to improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes.

He noted that the district had adopted the Target Zero initiative, aimed at achieving zero-maternal and neonatal mortality, adding that efforts would be sustained to improve outcomes.

“We have organised training and series of capacity-building sessions involving primary and secondary healthcare professionals to strengthen collaboration for good patients outcome,”

“Plans are already on to create more communication channels, to improve coordination and patient follow-up between healthcare facilities.,” he said.

The permanent secretary also urged residents to enrol in the state health insurance scheme – Ilera Eko, to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure and improve access to healthcare services.

NAN reports that outstanding workers from various departments in PHCs under the LSHD1 where given cash incentives for their contributions to service delivery. (NAN)

Edited by Vivian Ihechu