Informal Microfinance and Primary Health Care in Ekiti Lga, Kwara State, Nigeria

This study uses a multi-regression analysis to examine the impact of informal microfinance on primary healthcare in Ekiti LGA, Nigeria. It demonstrates that there is a positive relationships between the two.

The study reveals that poor funding manifested in inadequate number of skilled health staff, poor maintenance of equipment and inadequate drugs, combined with diminishing confidence in public sector health facilities, rapid population growth, political instability, non-existent rural workforce policies, and spartan living conditions make health care services inaccessible to the rural poor. Conclusions include:

• Regular savings and prompt loan repayments will sustain informal microfinance and give clients more access to funds to meet their health needs;
• Government should complement informal microfinance activities by ensuring that drugs are available and cheap in the rural areas of Ekiti;
• Recruit health staff with skills that are appropriate to the health priorities of rural areas;
• Maintain equipment and bring health facilities closer to rural areas so that it can help people reduce money spent on traveling to receive healthcare.