Yobe gov’t bolsters implementation of ‘Free Drugs Programme’ (Photos)
Story from Sa’adatu MAINA, Damaturu
Yobe State Ministry of Health and Human Services on Tuesday convened a high level stakeholders meeting within the health sector to discuss the ongoing implementation of Yobe State Government funded Free Drugs Programme with a view to strengthening and increasing the fiscal space of the programme.
In his remark, Commissioner for Health, Dr Lawan Gana, highlighted the objectives of the meeting in accordance with the objective of the administration of His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Yobe State Honourable Mai Mala Buni which aims to increase uptake of maternal, newborn and child health services by addressing out of pocket expenses through procurement and distribution of high-quality drugs to selected health facilities across the state.
Dr Gana further said that since 2009 when the programme was introduced, the state Free Drugs Programme has greatly contributed to the increased uptake of maternal, newborn and child health services.
Also, the programme has successfully maintained a cycle of procurement to distribution over the years without break, and Yobe State government in the last eleven years kept to its funding commitment for the programme.
However, stakeholders acknowledged that recently, because of combined factors such as inflation, weakened naira/heightened exchange rate, population increase, pandemics, increased utilization etc., the programme had experienced decreased access among the targeted beneficiaries in some health facilities in the state.
The stakeholders thoroughly discussed and expressed their appreciation to His Excellency, Governor Mai Mala Buni for his administration’s continuous commitment to sustaining the implementing of free drugs programmes in the state.
The commissioner and other stakeholders in the meeting pledged to review the programme strategies to improve its implementation through innovative resource mobilization.
Most significantly, the meeting also deliberated on the Free Drugs Programme sustainability plan that will ensure progressive expansion of population coverage through the existing programmes such as Basic Healthcare Provision Fund and Social Equity programme under the Yobe State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (YSCHMA) and activation of deferral and exemption under Yobe State Drugs and Medical Consumable Management Agency (YODMA) that would guarantee equity, development priorities and social inclusion in line with Governor Buni’s health policy agenda and priorities in the state.
The statement issued and by the public relations officer of YSCHMA AND YODMA Sulaiman Yusuf bakoro, said the meeting was attended by the Permanent Secretary, State Ministry of Health, Adamu Tella Zimboh, Executive Secretaries of YSCHMA, YODMA, HMB, ED YOSACA and representative of the Executive Secretary of the State Primary Health Care Management Board.
Also in attendance were State Programme Manager, Saving One Million Lives Programme for Results (SOML-PforR), Dr Babagana Abba, Director, Programmes YSCHMA, Dauda Suleiman, CMAC State Specialist Hospital Damaturu, Dr Usman Abba Geidam, Principal Medical Officer (PMO), Women and Children Hospital Damaturu and members of the Free Drugs Programme in the state.
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