National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has designated Gombe State as the shining light in infrastructure and human resource deployment as well as implementation of result-oriented policies in the primary healthcare system.
The executive director of the agency, Dr Faisal Shuaib gave the commendation while speaking at a partners breakfast meeting, a forum organised by the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) in collaboration with World Health Organisation (WHO), Gavi Alliance, UNICEF and NPHCD at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.
Shuaib, who singled out Gombe State for special praise, said, Your Excellency, your antecedents have been very clear. The last four years in Gombe State have been amazing under your leadership. We want to sincerely appreciate you. Your State is one of the shining lights that we can always show to the world that directly funded states with the right leadership can produce results “.
He stressed the need for states to demonstrate more commitment and deepen collaboration in ensuring quality and impact of health policies for the benefit of the people.
Governor Inuwa, who spoke at the event restated the commitment of Gombe and other states to the Seattle declaration aimed at improving the governance of the primary healthcare system, especially at sub national level by fully implementing the primary health care under one roof policy, among others.
He assured that in Gombe State there is a mechanism in place for basic health care provision, fund implementation and oversight for effective service delivery
He however lamented the seeming overstretching of facilities and social services in Gombe, which he attributed to its centrality in the North East as well as its prevailing peace which attracted a lot of internally displaced persons and others who have relocated to Gombe from the insurgency hit neighbouring states.
“There is a need for us to look deeper and have a wider approach to dealing with the issues as the dynamics are changing and the numbers are increasing by the day. With the Covid experience and the Russia- Ukraine conflict and their consequential effect on the economy, the states need more resources to cope with numerous socio-economic challenges,” he noted.
WHO head of mission and representative in Nigeria, Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo, UNICEF country representative Cristian Munduate and Managing Director of Country Program Delivery, Gavi Thabani Maphosa emphasised the need for leaders at sub national level to ensure effective oversight of funds meant for implementation of projects and programmes for results.
They called on governors to be conscious of what they live behind as legacies and their lasting impact on the people.
