Stakeholders across government institutions, civil society organisations, youth networks, development partners, community leaders and the media have called for stronger accountability and increased community engagement to improve financing and service delivery in Lagos State’s Primary Health Care (PHC) system.

The call was made at the official launch of the GoFundPHC Campaign, with the support of Pathfinder International, ­a citizen-driven advocacy initiative aimed at strengthening PHC through transparency, performance tracking and community participation. Through both digital platforms and grassroots mobilisation, the campaign seeks to reposition PHCs as functional, trusted and accessible first points of care.

Speaking at the launch, the Chairman of the Public Health Sustainable Advocacy Initiative (PHSAI), Ayo Adebusoye, said the campaign was designed to mobilise citizens to demand better-managed investment in PHC and to ensure that ongoing reforms translate into tangible improvements at the community level.

He commended the Lagos State Government’s efforts to upgrade infrastructure, expand health insurance coverage and reposition the health system towards Universal Health Coverage, but emphasised that infrastructure alone could not address persistent gaps in service delivery.

Adebusoye described primary health care as the first and most critical level of healthcare for residents, forming the foundation for disease prevention, maternal and child health, epidemic preparedness, and universal coverage.

He highlighted continuing challenges, including shortages of skilled health workers, inconsistent access to power and water, limited 24-hour services, uneven facility distribution across wards, heavy reliance on out-of-pocket spending, and low public confidence in government-owned PHCs.

According to Adebusoye, the GoFundPHC Campaign aims to address these issues by mobilising citizens, especially young people and community actors, to track PHC funding, document service readiness, amplify community voices, promote data-driven decision-making, and support constructive engagement between citizens and government institutions.

The campaign, he said, calls on the state government to deepen reforms by strengthening stewardship of PHCs through transparent financing, routine public reporting on performance, stronger supervision, accelerated digitisation and enforcement of service standards. Adebusoye added that coordinated efforts from the state down to local governments and local council development areas (LCDAs) were crucial to ensure policies and funding commitments led to visible improvements in communities.

He urged local government and LCDA chairmen to take direct responsibility for the performance and functionality of PHCs in their jurisdictions, including prioritising PHCs in budgets, ensuring timely fund releases, deploying and retaining skilled health workers, providing incentives and accommodation for 24-hour services, and strengthening community accountability structures such as Ward Development Committees and facility feedback mechanisms.

Adebusoye stressed that making local leadership more accountable was critical for transparency, effective implementation and sustainable system improvement. He further called on communities, civil society organisations and youth groups to actively monitor PHC facilities, report service gaps, participate in accountability structures, and engage decision-makers constructively. Development partners and the media, he said, should sustain attention on PHC financing, service quality and performance outcomes.

On funding, Adebusoye warned that delays in the release of allocated funds often undermined service delivery. He called for full transparency in PHC financing, including public reporting of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), insurance-related funds and local government health allocations, to foster trust and attract greater citizen support.

Adebusoye further emphasised the need for non-partisan and functional community accountability structures, including Ward Development Committees and Local Government Health Authorities, stating that competence and public interest should guide governance, not political affiliation. He added that routine performance tracking and digitisation would make it easier to monitor facility functionality, utilisation and quality of care.

On the campaign’s scope, Adebusoye said GoFundPHC was currently sub-national, starting in Lagos State, due to the significant investments already being made in PHC revitalisation. He said the campaign could be scaled to other states based on its success and lessons learned.

The Convener of the GoFundPHC Campaign, Mr Abiodun Ajayi, said that lack of trust in PHC services remained a barrier to utilisation, with residents often bypassing primary facilities for secondary care. He said the government was enforcing health insurance enrolment, including for government officials, and stressed that the campaign would monitor not only government funding but also service quality in both public and private facilities.

Ajayi said accountability under the campaign extended to health workers and facilities, with poor service delivery expected to be questioned and addressed. He explained that the initiative would track both funding and quality of care to ensure residents received professional medical services.

He urged all stakeholders to join the movement to ensure that every ward in Lagos State has a funded, functional and accountable Primary Health Care centre capable of meeting the health needs of its residents.