Gombe Provides Stop-gap Measure To Tackle Drug Stockouts In Primary Healthcare Facilities

In a strategic move to address recurring drug stock-outs in public health facilities, the Board of the Gombe State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (GoHealth) has approved the provision of interest-free loans to Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the state.

The approval was disclosed by the Executive Secretary and Team Lead of GoHealth, Dr. Abubakar Musa, during a pre-rollout high-level meeting involving key stakeholders.

The meeting was attended by the Executive Secretaries of the Gombe State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (GSPHCDA), Dr. Abdulrahman Shuaibu, and the Gombe State Drug Management Agency (GODMA), Pharm. Abubakar Mohammed Hassan, alongside select staff from the three agencies.

Addressing participants at the meeting, Dr. Musa explained that the initiative is designed as a targeted financial support mechanism to strengthen drug availability at the primary healthcare level.

“GoHealth has initiated a plan to support PHCs through the provision of zero-interest soft loans. Repayment will be made through monthly deductions from their capitation, which will not exceed 30 percent of the monthly allocation,” he stated.

According to Dr. Musa, the intervention became necessary following reports from GoPharma indicating persistently low uptake of essential medicines by PHCs across the state. He noted that feedback from health facilities during the last providers’ forum identified the existing cash-and-carry policy as a major barrier to timely drug procurement.

“What we are trying to do at GoHealth is to provide a stop-gap measure that ensures facilities have access to working capital, enabling them to procure drugs promptly from GoPharma and avoid stock-outs,” he added.

Dr. Musa further revealed that the GoHealth Board has approved a sum of not less than ₦100 million to be disbursed as interest-free loans to eligible PHCs, with the aim of strengthening medicine availability and improving service delivery across the state.

To ensure accountability and compliance, he announced the establishment of a joint monitoring team comprising representatives from GoHealth, GODMA, and GSPHCDA. The team will oversee procurement processes and ensure that PHCs source drugs exclusively from GODMA-approved channels.

He warned that any facility found violating the directive would face strict sanctions.

In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of GODMA, Pharm. Abubakar Mohammed Hassan, assured stakeholders that adequate mechanisms have been put in place to guarantee compliance and effective implementation of the initiative.

Similarly, the Executive Secretary of GSPHCDA, Dr. Abdulrahman Shuaibu, welcomed the intervention, describing it as timely and impactful. He expressed satisfaction with the initiative and pledged the full cooperation and support of PHCs across the state to ensure its success.