By Stanley Onyekwere
In a bid to ensure the Drug Revolving Fund (DRF) scheme works, the FCT Administration has inaugurated its sustainable health supply system steering committee and sustainable health supply system committee.
The inauguration was part of the plan the Secretariat had made for the revitalisation of the DRF in all health facilities in the Territory.
It was gathered that as part of the ownership and sustainability of the scheme, the FCT Health and Human Services Secretariat (HHSS) with the collaboration and technical support from the United State Agency of International Development (USAID) Global Health Supply Chain-Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) program, conducted Health Facilities DRF readiness assessment in the preparation for the take off of the revitalised DRF scheme.
The FCT Secretary of Health, Dr. Abubakar Tafida, reiterated that the FCTA is determined to make efficient health care services available to the residents of the Territory and its environs.
Tafida mandated the Director Pharmaceutical Services of HHSS Boniface E. Ikwu, to inaugurate the DRF In-state Team immediately, after a two-week intensive training supported by GHSC- PSM of the USAID programs in Kano.
He noted that under the new system, district drug distribution centers will be built in order to increase the access and availability of quality medicines in the territory with the new FCT Drug Management Agency (DMA) as the central hub.
According to him, these centres will serve both public and private health facilities in the Territory, therefore, it was of paramount importance to set up the FCT DRF In-State Team to monitor the program.
He said, the In-State Team are the technical arm of the Federal Capital Territory’s Sustainable Health Supply System Committee, charged with responsibilities of supervising, monitoring,and evaluation of all the DRF activities in the Primary, Secondary, Tertiary Health Facilities and the FCT DMA (Abuja Central Medical Stores) in the territory.
He therefore charged the FCT DRF In- State Team that the Journey had just begun, as “the Team must work hard to move health services forward, failure is not an option, the DRF must succeed in the FCT.
He called on the FCT DRF In-State Team to dedicate themselves to givibg maximum support to ensure DRF is successfully utilised in the FCT.
The Secretary thanked USAID-GHSC-PSM for committing so much resources to the course of the DRF in the Territory.
