From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna
Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani has ordered the upgrading of 255 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the 23 Local Government Areas of the State to level 2, to enhance basic emergency obstetrics and neonatal care, thereby preventing maternity and neo-natal mortality and morbidity.
The State Commissioner of Health, Hajiya Umma Ahmad, asserted this at a ministerial press briefing held at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, yesterday.
Hajiya Ahmad disclosed that thirteen Secondary Health Care facilities out of the 33 General Hospitals are being rehabilitated and equipped.
According to her, the contract has been awarded for the reconstruction, remodeling, and equipping of additional health facilities at the Yusuf DanTshofo Memorial Hospital, Tudun Wada, in Kaduna South Local Government Area.
She explained that the move is part of Governor Uba Sani’s efforts to revamp the entire health sector in Kaduna State through infrastructural development, facilities upgrade, and equipping of Primary as well as Secondary Health Care facilities in the last 22 months.
She noted that the Governor’s intervention has been producing positive outcomes in all the Healthcare sectors giving the State positive health indices.
According to her, Kaduna State achieved 100% coverage of Public Health facilities in the distribution of medicines last year, a feat that was confirmed by the Federal Ministry of Health.
‘’Kaduna State Health Supplies Management Agency has received 10 prestigious awards, including the coveted award for Excellence In Supply Chain, which was presented by the International Supply Chain Education Alliance,’’ she disclosed.
She also noted that the National Product Supply Chain(NPSC) had ranked Kaduna State as one of the first sub-nationals ‘’to reach the Maturing Ready To Integrate Level for public health supply chains for essential medicines, demonstrating its preparedness for an efficient State Health Supply Systems(SHSS).’’
The Commissioner further said that Kaduna State won the Leadership Challenge award for the North West zone in 2024, which is a testament to Governor Uba Sani’s positive interventions in the health sector.
According to the Commissioner, Governor Uba Sani has ‘’renovated and equipped the warehouse of Kaduna State Health Supplies Management Agency(KADHSMA) to a Pharma-grade standard, which has 1,600 sqm with a storage capacity of 8,000 cubic meters of pharmaceutical products, with a well-equipped quality control laboratory.’’
She further said that the Kaduna State Government has ‘’procured and distributed over 975 Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) for Public Health facilities in the State, distributed state-of-the-art equipment to 290 PHC centers to aid diagnostic and therapeutic services.’’
The Commissioner recalled that Governor Uba Sani had ‘’flagged off the distribution of free, essential medicines to all Local Government Councils, targeting the under-served communities, to expand access to commodities and health care.’’
She also promised that the 300-bed Specialist Hospital would provide specialized care nationwide and has the potential to stem medical tourism when completed.
She pledged that the hospital would soon be commissioned because all civil works had already been fully completed while 85% of the equipment had been installed.
The Commissioner commended Governor Uba Sani for improved health financing as his administration ‘’increased enrolment rate for health insurance from 527,303 in 2023 to 639,432 in 2024, equivalent to a 21.3% increase.
‘’Furthermore, the Governor approved the enrolment of 70,000 vulnerable populations into the Social Health insurance scheme under the Kaduna State Contributory Health Management Authority (KADCHMA).
‘’In addition, he released N52,000,000 as 25% counterpart contribution for the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) program for the enrolment of additional 4,333 vulnerable persons,’’ she disclosed.
According to her, the Kaduna State Government has ‘’sustained the allocation of not less than 15% of the state financing to the health sector as prescribed by the Abuja declaration, a feat that is yet to be achieved at the federal level.’’
The Commissioner also reiterated that Governor Uba Sani has approved the recruitment of 1,800 health workers yearly across all the PHCs in the state for the next four years.
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