Kogi Government has organised a three-day training programme on transparency and accountability for account officers in the State’s Primary Healthcare Development Agency (KSPHCDA) .
The Executive Director of KSPHCDA, Dr Abubakar Yakubu, while declaring the event open on Wednesday in Lokoja, said participants were drawn fron the 21 local government areas of the State.
He noted that the training was the first of its kind for Local Government Authority (LGHA) Account Officers of the KSPHCDA in the state since inception.
According to him, PHCUOR is a policy for the integration of all PHC services under one authority (the SPHCDA) to reduce fragmentation in PHC management and service delivery.
”No doubt, you may be familiar with some account procedures but you need to understand that some new procedures have been injected which must be followed and complied with.
He added that funds from the Kogi State and Development Partners for activities would be properly monitored for effective management
He explained that the SPHCDA had begun plans to build capacity for key players in the PHCUOR structure,.
According to him, the resource person is well equipped to deliver on the mandate of enriching their capabilities in handling and managing funds as it affects the LGHA accounts in the various local government areas.
He called for their commitment, efficiency and effectiveness in the management of resources to achieve the goals.
He noted that the NPHCDA had made remarkable progress in primary health care development in Nigeria, but that the system had remained weak due to multiple challenges in various aspects of the health system framework.
”Fragmentation in the Governance system has continued to undermine the delivery of primary health care in Nigeria.
”At the State level, the concurrent and overlapping responsibilities in administrative framework such as SMOH, MLG & CA, SMoWA, LGSC has constituted significant challenges to the delivery of quality and efficient health services.
”It is in response to the foregoing that the NPHCDA in collaboration with key stakeholders on PHCUOR initiative to improve PHC implementation at the Kogi State and LG levels,” he said.
He, therefore, urged the participants to put in their best for the Agency’s achievements.
One of the Resource Persons, Mr Olajide Samuel, an Associate Accountant, said the essence of the training was for the participants to know the new trend in accounting profession and to be able to apply it to their job.
Samuel added that at the end of the training the participants should be able to have a better knowledge about Public Fund Management and Retirement, Accounting Information System, Functions of Account Department, Bank Reconciliation, among others.
