Effects of Public Expenditure on the Provision of Primary Health Care in Bauchi State

Musa Lumi, Bala Umar & Suleiman D. Muhammed

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Abstract

Health spending has more than doubled in real terms worldwide between 2000 and 2019, reaching US$8.5 trillion in 2019, or 9.8% of global GDP, but in developing countries like Nigeria, the reverse has been the case. Although the Bauchi State Government has spent a lot of money in the past, the state’s basic healthcare system continues to be problematic. The objective of the study was to evaluate how capital expenditures affect the provision of primary healthcare infrastructure in Bauchi State. A mixed method of data collection was used for the study. A total of 60 questionnaires were given out to medical staff. The impact of public spending on basic healthcare in Bauchi State was examined using simple linear regression to test the study’s hypotheses at a 95% confidence level and a 5% level of significance. The study revealed that capital expenditure had a significant effect on the provision of infrastructural facilities for primary healthcare in Bauchi State. This indicates that from 2008 to 2023, there was an increase in public expenditure on areas of renovation, upgrading of PHCs, construction, health equipment, beddings, drugs and consumables across the PHC facilities in the State. The observation revealed that much had been done in the provision of health infrastructure, though some structures needed renovation and expansion to meet the needs of the people at the grassroots level. The study concluded that there was a need for a consistent and collective effort by the Government to provide infrastructural facilities, to ensure the provision of qualitative primary health care services to the people. The study recommended the need to increase capital expenditure for the development and maintenance of infrastructural facilities in the primary healthcare sector. This includes constructing and upgrading healthcare facilities to ensure accessibility and quality service delivery to the community to meet the needs of the increasing population.

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