Gender Inclusion Improves Health Service Delivery In Kaduna – Deputy Gov

Kaduna State Deputy Governor, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, has stated that gender inclusion enhances health service delivery in the state.

Balarabe said that systems become steadier, communities become safer, and decisions reflect the full range of human needs when women lead the health sector.

Balarabe, a medical doctor, buttressed her assertion with her own professional trajectory, which began in the field and culminated in her appointment as Director of Public Health at the Federal Capital Territory in 2014.

“I watched local immunisation teams succeed because the women who led them understood the rhythms of their communities. I saw primary health facilities survive difficult years because women supervisors held them together with discipline and a sense of duty,’’ he added.

The Deputy Governor, who spoke at the Public Unveiling of Women In Public Health Leadership In Africa(WiPHLA) at the weekend, noted that “that experience shaped my conviction that leadership is not a gift for a few. It is a discipline that is learned, strengthened, and proven over time.’’

Balarabe also reinforced her statement with the gender equity and inclusion policy of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration in Kaduna State.

“In Kaduna State, we have been fortunate to work under a governor who believes in women’s capacity to lead. This is not a slogan. This is reflected in the decisions that have placed two women at the helm of the Ministry of Health from 2019 to the present day.

“Their stewardship, combined with firm political will, has guided major reforms that continue to reposition our health sector. It is also reflected in the leadership of the state’s health supply chain, where two women have led the agency consecutively, improving efficiency, stabilising commodity flow, and making Kaduna a model studied by other states. These results did not appear by chance. They came from trust, opportunity, and competence,’’ she added.

Balarabe, who is a registered professional Public Health Physician and Consultant with over two decades of practice, said, “global evidence supports what we have seen at home.’’

“Studies by the Harvard School of Public Health show that teams with gender balanced leadership record stronger governance practices and better organisational resilience.

She lamented that “the World Health Organisation has noted that women account for the majority of the health workforce worldwide, yet remain underrepresented in senior decision making.

“The gap limits performance. When leadership reflects the people it serves, systems respond more accurately, more quickly, and more fairly.

Across industries, the pattern is similar,’’ she maintained.

The Deputy Governor also pointed out that  ‘’research from McKinsey and Catalyst points to higher organisational performance in institutions where women hold strategic leadership positions.

“These are not abstract claims. They speak to the simple idea that diversity strengthens judgment and widens the range of solutions available to a system. Health is no exception,’’ she added.

Balarabe noted that WiPHLA is entering the landscape with a clear purpose, which is “to gather, to prepare, and to elevate. These three steps form the foundation of durable leadership.”