LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PRIMARY HEALTH CARE MANAGEMENT IN NIGERIA (A CASE STUDY OF ONA-ARA LOCAL GOVERNMENT)

The involvement of local government in primary health care management is crucial, especially in countries with decentralized health systems like Nigeria. Examining a specific case, such as the Ona-Ara Local Government Area (LGA) in Oyo State, provides a detailed view of how local government can influence health outcomes at the grassroots level. The Primary Health Centre is the basic structural and functional unit of the public health services in developing countries. The Primary Health Care (PHC) is the most efficient and effective way to achieve health for all because it is about how best to provide health care and services to everyone. Primary Health Care forms an integral part of the country’s health system. While the main focus of PHC is the health of individuals, families and communities at large, PHC is equally concerned with addressing the overall social and economic development of communities, thereby targeting the social determinants of health. Primary health care embodies a spirit of self-reliance and selfdetermination. (Vukic and Keddy, 2020). The principles of PHC were first outlined in the Declaration of Alma-Ata in 1978 by the member nations of the World Health Organization (WHO), to provide accessible and affordable primary health care to people. That was a seminal milestone in global health. Forty years later, global leaders ratified the Declaration at the Global Conference on Primary Health Care which took place in Astana, Kazakhstan in October 2018.