Bauchi Wins $400,000 2022 PHC Leadership Challenge Award

Bauchi State deputy governor and chairman of the state Task Force Committee on Primary Healthcare, Senator Baba Tela, has said the state had won the $400,000 2022 primary healthcare challenge award.

He revealed this during the 2023 first quarter task force meeting and award ceremony in Bauchi.

He said the money awarded to the state by the Nigerian Governors Forum in collaboration with PHC MoU partners was as a result of the state’s performance in primary healthcare delivery in line with Seattle declaration.

Senator Tela said the development followed the emergence of the state as “Runner up from the Northeastern sub region and one of the six best states in Nigeria” in the area of quality primary healthcare services during the 2022 Primary Healthcare leadership challenge award.

“Among the major indicators which attract our high score for the award is the regular conduct of the state task force on primary healthcare quarterly meetings, prompt payment of the MoU counterpart funds and other obligations for quality primary healthcare services.

“This success is a collective effort of the Bauchi state government, members of the State task force, traditional institutions as well as development partners working in the state. I want to congratulate all the stakeholders involved and to call on people of the state to continue to support the present administration’s policy on health.”

On his part, the state director of USAID funded Integrated Health Programme (USAID IHP) Dr. Alhassan Siaka congratulated the state for winning the $400,000 and hoped that the entire sum would be channelled into the State Basket Fund for improved primary health in the state.

On the implementation of the action points from the 2022 PHC retreat meeting, the executive chairman, Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Rilwanu Muhammad, said the state had recorded successes, especially in the areas of manpower in facilities, healthcare financing as well as community leaders’ inclusion.

In a remark, the co-chair of the state task force on primary healthcare who is also the Emir of Dass, Alhaji Usman Bilyaminu Othman, thanked development partners in the state for their continuous financial and technical support aimed at improving the entire healthcare system in the state.