When Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed assumed office as governor of Bauchi state, the state is face with numerous challenges in the health sector characterize by infrastructural deficit and dire shortage of health care workers especially in the primary health care Centers thereby threatening the lives of people most especially in the local communities.
To tackle these challenges and ensure availability cost – effective Health care solutions, reverse the negative trends through holistic but sustainable response, provide standard, high quality and affordable health care to the people of Bauchi state. The state governor convened the first Bauchi health summit.
The summit was intended to identify new opportunities and approaches that is obtainable in the developing world to make Bauchi a health destination.
The determination of His Excellency Bala Mohammed to reposition the health sector was a fulfilment of his campaign promises to build and equip a functional health care center in all the 322 wards of the state, renovate and upgrade all secondary facilities across the the twenty local government.
To show commitment to his words, His Excellency declared a state of emergency in Health sector, thereby releasing counterpart funds to federal government interventions and all donor partners in public health sector.
The state government in partnership with development partners build and renovated About 350 primary and secondary health facilities while 12 General hospitals have undergone total rehabilitation with a view to make them more functional.
Furthermore, the administration of Bala Mohammed upgraded the state college of nursing sciences, equiped it with the state of the art facilities and secured full accreditation of course to enable it compete favorably with it’s counterparts in the country.
The Health Summit houses notable personalities and regulators in the health sector from within and outside the country to delebrate and proffer solutions to the challenges in the provision of quality health care services to the people.
Among the personalities invited for the Summit are the Honourable minister of Health Dr. Osagie Ehanire, Representatives from the federal ministry of health, World Health Organization, NSHIP National Center from diseases control among other key actors discusses on Optimizing the health care system in Bauchi state with a view to finding solutions to the problems.
The two days summit also buttress on utilizing inter sectoral collaboration to improve efficiency of the health system and identifying financing options for sustainable Health care delivery in the state.
After an extensive delibrations, the participants were able to come up with recommendations based on their submissions on how best the health sector can be developed to standard.
Part of the recommendations of participants presented in a communique at the end of the Summit was for government to strengthen the health care system architecture, complete renovation and upgrade of 1 General hospital per LGA and 1 PHC per ward to improve access to quality health care.
Others are to strengthen financial service service accountability mechanism to eliminate inefficiencies and leakages at all levels of health system and to pursue innovative health financing options to enhance it’s financial base to achieve universal health coverage.
Addressing journalist shortly after the summit, His Excellency senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed promised to give holistic approach to the recommendations of the participants as part of administrations mandate to provide accessible and affordable health system
With this feet’s we can authoritatively attest to the fact that Senator Bala Mohammed is committed to the well-being of the people of Bauchi state.
BY SILAS SHENTUKWAK
