The Kaduna State government has pledged to improve funding of routine immunization, family and the primary healthcare as a cardinal principle of the government to improve healthcare delivery in the state. The State Deputy Governor, Dr Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe disclosed this when the Partnership for Advocacy in child and family at scale, PACFaH@Scale, coalition group paid an advocacy visit to demand for improved funding in the state.

The Deputy Governor, who promised change in the implementation of health policies and funding said ‘We are going to see a difference in the way funds have been allocated, as all the commissioners and Permanent Secretaries have their job description and the state now has created a segmented council where ministries with similar functions/mandate meet to discuss and proffer better ways to make the state great’ She said

She said the state government has already purchased refrigerators which are distributed to some high volume PHCs for storing RI Commodities. This she added, will subsequently bridge the access gap on Routine immunization, thereby boosting the coverage and indices of the state.

Family Planning:

On family planning, the Deputy Governor disclosed that the government has made a case to the Federal Ministry of Health to allow Kaduna state procures commodities for family planning in which Federal Ministry of Health has approved. In this regard, she called on dRPC PAS to help advocate the Federal Ministry of Health to permit other states to procure family planning commodities as it will boost the country’s modern contraceptive prevalence rate. (MCPR).

Primary Healthcare Under One Roof:

While commenting on primary healthcare under one roof policy, the Deputy Governor said government has embarked on renovation and upgrade of 255 PHCs, some are completed to the tune of 189, but not all are in full function as some are still under lock and key. She commits that the 66 PHCs will be completed on or before October 2019; all the 255 PHCs will be in operation, and the government will continue to maintain SOPs of PHCUOR.

Routine Immunization:

On routine immunization, she disclosed that the government has already purchased refrigerators which are distributed to some high volume PHCs for storing RI Commodities. She believes this will subsequently bridge the access gap of RI, thereby boosting the coverage and indices of the state.

Timely release of funds:

The Deputy Governor then promised that citizens will see a  difference in the way funds have been allocated, as all the commissioners and Permanent Secretaries have their job description given ensure supervision. She also stated that the state now has created a segmented council where ministries with similar functions/mandate meet to discuss and proffer better ways to make the state great.

Recruitment of health personnel:

While speaking on human resource for health in the state, Dr Balarabe said the state government will start the recruitment of 3059 Health workers, the application site has been open and applicants have been accessing the site. Though engaging the 3059 health workers this year is not feasible, the state will be phasing their engagement. There are secondary and high volume facilities; the first phase of health workers will be distributed to these secondary and high volume facilities. She was optimistic that the health system would be better if the state launched the contributed health insurance scheme as all arrangements are in place to do the launching subsequently.

She then commended the PACFaH@Scale for the excellent work and for the continuing advocacies which will help make a difference and realizing the Kaduna state slogan ‘putting people first.’ She, however, registered her displeasure in the way health indices have gone down in the state, this she sighted with  NDHS Routine Immunization indices of the state. ‘Yes, the government has made some significant achievements, but a lot needs to be done. So that is why the government alone can’t do the job, as all hands must be on deck’. She made the following commitments:

Earlier, the coalition led by Mr Bartholowme Sarti informed the state Deputy Governor, who is also the acting Commissioner of Health, that the coalition is worried by the recent indices in the state, especially in the areas of family planning, routine immunization, childhood Killer Diseases and Primary Healthcare Under One Roof  policy implementation.

Highlight of the advocacy visit was the presentation of the Advocacy kit bag to the Deputy Governor.