By:Monday Danladi Bauchi
Bauchi State Government has approved the release of the sum of N872m as counterpart funding for the Healthcare Basket Fund.
The Government has also constituted and inaugurated a Taskforce on Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction in the state as part of the effort to promote safe motherhood.
The disclosure and inauguration of the Taskforce was made by the State Commissioner of Health, Dr Sani Mohammed Dambam on Friday at the end of a 5-day implementation design workshop on of Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (mamii) held in Bauchi.
The Commissioner charged the Taskforce to go round all health facilities in the State especially Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) to ensure that clients have access to quality healthcare services.
“We are grateful to our brand new National Health Heroes, who have just joined us. It is my pleasure to be part and parcel of this important meeting and training from the beginning to the end although I was not fully on ground but I was aptly updated about the activities of the workshop,” he added.
He reminded members of the Taskforce that it is not end but beginning of the road to the end stressing that the work has just begun as the main thing is on the field not in the office.
According to him,”Our mothers and the society are eagerly waiting for us to implement this laudable programme that will improve the health, well-being of the good people of Bauchi State and the nation in general. I am very glad we have leaders who are very committed and have the interest of the people at heart under the leadership of the Governor, Sen Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir.”
He stressed that the health sector has maintained a top priority since the inception of the administration in 2019 stating that,”It is gratifying to know that, aside the ones mentioned earlier, the Governor has graciously approved the sum of N872m as counterpart funding for the Healthcare Basket Fund.”
“In fact, Bauchi State is the sole donor for this year’s Basket Fund activities and we have given the marching order, in fact any moment from now the money will drop into the Basket Fund account. So we are very glad. We also appealing to our partners, particularly Aliko Dangote, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to also consider rolling the budget for the next 5 years.
He said that this became necessary because the project is supposed to end this year adding that the State has consistently paid its counterpart funding stressing that, “We are the only State that has been on record. We are very optimistic that our partners are impressed with the performance and commitment of the State Government under the leadership of the Governor.”
The Commissioner expressed hope that the mamii programme will be another success story just as the ones before it assuring that it is not going to be a stand alone project but rather galvanise and coordinate with the existing projects that are targeted towards improving maternal and child health and of course maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction.
Aliko Dangote, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation commended the inauguration of the Taskforce stating that it came at the right time when efforts are geared towards reduction in maternal and Neonatal Mortality in order to improve mother and child health for safe motherhood.
Also speaking, representative of John Hopkins Programme for International Education in Gynecology and Obstetrics (JHPIEGO) commended the introduction of the mamii programme saying that it will go a long way in Combating the menace of high maternal, Neonatal and morbidity rate across the country.
Eleven Local Government Areas of Bauchi State have been selected for the implementation of the Nigeria Healthcare Sector-Wide Approach (swap) project under the Nigeria Health Sector
Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII).
The project is implemented under the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (mamii) by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
