By Rebecca Caleb Maina
Gombe State Governor, Alhaji Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to sustaining the gains of the GAVI-funded, state-supported three-year Primary Health Care (PHC) Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) programme, ensuring continued improvement in healthcare services for mothers and children across the state.
Speaking at the PHC MoU Way Forward Ceremony, organised by the Gombe State Ministry of Health and the State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Governor Yahaya highlighted the remarkable progress made under the programme, which was implemented in partnership with GAVI, UNICEF, WHO, and other development partners under the initiative titled “Support to the Implementation of the Nigeria Government Health System Strengthening (Primary Health Care MoU).”
The three-year programme, which commenced in 2022, aims to improve health outcomes for children and women by strengthening PHC systems and routine immunisation services.
Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Ibrahim Njodi, the governor reiterated that upon assuming office, the administration declared a State of Emergency on health due to the deplorable condition of the healthcare system and infrastructure at the time.
This decision, according to the governor, led to immediate interventions, including the construction and upgrade of Primary Health Care Centres in all 114 political wards, ensuring 24-hour healthcare services for rural and urban communities.
He also highlighted the renovation and equipping of three secondary healthcare facilities and the upgrading of the Gombe Specialist Hospital with state-of-the-art medical equipment.
The Chief of the UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, Dr Nuzhat Rafique, praised Gombe State’s leadership and commitment to strengthening its PHC system.
She acknowledged the state’s impressive achievements under the MoU, which included the recruitment of 440 trained health workers, the renovation of health facilities, the expansion of cold chain infrastructure, and the increased coverage of immunisation services.
Dr. Rafique noted that the percentage of pregnant women supported at birth by skilled health workers increased from 21.1% in 2018 to 37.9% in 2024, while the percentage of women receiving postnatal checkups within two days of delivery rose from 25.1% to 44.9%.
She further emphasised that childhood immunisation recorded a major boost, with the proportion of fully immunised children increasing from 18.2% to 49.2% over the same period.
Dr. Rafique urged the state government to ensure the sustainability of these gains by prioritising the timely release of counterpart funds, integrating newly recruited health workers into the state civil service, strengthening vaccine management systems, and maintaining outreach programmes to expand healthcare access in underserved areas.
In his welcome address, the Gombe State Commissioner for Health, Dr Habu Dahiru, expressed gratitude to the state governor for his commitment to improving the healthcare sector.
He highlighted the transformative impact of the PHC MoU, particularly in expanding access to quality maternal and child healthcare services across the state.
Dr Dahiru explained that the programme had strengthened the primary healthcare system by ensuring that each ward had skilled health workers attending to maternal and newborn health needs.
On his part, the Executive Secretary of the Gombe State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Abdulraham Shuiabu, reaffirmed the agency’s dedication to strengthening primary healthcare services across the state.
He acknowledged that the PHC MoU had provided an opportunity to bridge critical gaps in healthcare delivery, especially in rural areas.
He noted that the programme was implemented under key pillars, including leadership and coordination, service delivery, logistics and supply chain, data management, health finance, and human resources for health, all of which have contributed significantly to the state’s healthcare improvements.
A representative of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Hajiya Faiza Galadanci, commended the Gombe State Government for setting an example in health sector reforms and demonstrating strong political will in driving healthcare improvements.
She encouraged the state government to sustain the momentum by mainstreaming the programme’s achievements through strong policy frameworks, ensuring adequate budgetary allocation, and timely release of funds to support the health sector.
The event, as observed by our Gombe state correspondent, also featured remarks from a representative of the World Health Organization (WHO), who reiterated the importance of continuous investment in primary healthcare to achieve Universal Health Coverage.
A representative of the Chairman of the Gombe State Traditional Council on Health, the Mai Tangale, Alhaji Danladi Sunusi, also emphasised the role of traditional and religious institutions in promoting healthcare access and uptake in communities.
The ceremony concluded with the presentation of awards to development partners in recognition of their effective implementation of the PHC MoU and their contributions to improving healthcare outcomes in Gombe State.