Bauchi Governor Assures To Sustain Health Financing

...Participates at the 2021 Mid Year PHC MoU review meeting

Bauchi State Government on Thursday says it will continue to work assiduously to implement the 5-year Minimum Service package investment plan in an effort to ensure sustainability of health financing.

He said the state government is very much committed towards redeeming its counterpart contribution to the MoU basket and in the implementation of all the Seattle declarations.

"Our Government has also re-introduced the pre-service scheme for health care professionals in-training to ensure continuous availability of frontline health workers in the facilities. This is to avoid gaps occasioned by retirement, promotions or change of responsibilities."

"To improve Healthcare infrastructure, the State Government has renovated general hospitals and two other cottage hospitals as well as the construction of primary healthcare facilities aimed at ensuring the provision of essential health services within the reach of the people both in urban and rural communities."

The governor said to sustain the gains of polio eradication in the country and the African sub-region, the state government has ensured that surveillance activities remain active and both human and environmental sample collection and testing has continued.

Governor Bala Mohammed said with the support of the Federal Government and partners, his administration has successfully implemented two rounds of polio vaccinations as part of the outbreak response activities.

Development partners who were satisfied with the performance of Governor Bala Mohammed in the health care delivery have declared their support for the  implementation of all primary healthcare programs in the state.

In a key note address, the Executive Director, National Primary Healthcare Development Agency Dr. Faisal Shuaib said the engagement provides an opportunity to review progress made in the MoU on routine Immunization/primary health system strengthening in the states that signed the MoU .

On the effort of the state government towards strengthen primary healthcare system, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Dayyabu Hassan said , the state is implementing all the agreed recommendations from the Seattle declaration.

The Permanent Secretary said the state government is working with the MoU partners to finalize the MoU extension and to expand the scope of financial accountability mechanisms to other primary healthcare programs.

"We have sustained health budget allocation, improve timely and adequate release of earmarked health and PHC funds, sustaining the conduct of virtual meetings with partners for optimum coordination of program activities at all levels."

"We are also reviewing our work plans to focus on feasible high-impact activities rather than generic  and routine activities, Institute quarterly review of PHC and polio eradication performance to sustain oversight."