Sokoto Govt Urged To Sustain Primary Healthcare Reforms

The Sokoto State Government has been urged to sustain and expand its reforms aimed at strengthening primary healthcare and improving access to essential health services across the state.

The call was made by a coalition of civil society organisations in a statement signed by its convener, Comrade Salisu Mohammed, while commending the government for its efforts to improve healthcare delivery at the grassroots.

The coalition commended Governor Ahmad Aliyu, the state Ministry of Health and the Acting Executive Secretary of the Sokoto State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Bilyaminu Yari Sifawa, for what it described as significant progress in primary healthcare delivery.

According to the groups, activities documented by the agency showed sustained attention to the renovation of primary healthcare centres, provision of medical equipment, immunisation, maternal and child health programmes, nutrition interventions, improved data management and community participation.

The coalition specifically cited the renovation and commissioning of primary healthcare centres at Mandera in Shagari Local Government Area, Kaurar Kimba in Wamakko and Achida in Wurno, noting that other facilities across the state had also received equipment and operational support.

It also highlighted the Maternity Waiting Home at PHC Kwannawa in Dange Shuni and the Safe Deliveries Initiative as practical interventions designed to help reduce maternal and newborn deaths by improving women’s access to skilled healthcare during childbirth.

The groups further praised the state’s immunisation campaigns targeting polio, measles-rubella and other childhood diseases across the 23 local government areas and 244 wards. It said the provision of motorcycles to LGA immunisation officers could strengthen supervision, logistics and access to hard-to-reach communities.

The commissioning of the Sokoto Polio Emergency Operations Centre was also described as a significant development, particularly in strengthening disease surveillance and enabling faster responses to vaccine-preventable diseases. The coalition also acknowledged the state’s collaboration with UNICEF, WHO, UNFPA and Gavi on immunisation, nutrition, reproductive health, data systems and health-system strengthening.

The coalition, however, said commendation must go hand in hand with accountability. It urged the government and the SSPHCDA to ensure that public resources, medicines, equipment and donor-supported interventions reach their intended beneficiaries, while allowing civil society organisations to independently monitor implementation and provide constructive feedback.

“We call for these efforts to be sustained, expanded and measured by one clear standard: whether ordinary people can actually receive timely, affordable and quality healthcare,” the groups stated, urging citizens to demand responsible stewardship of public health investments and report gaps that could undermine service delivery at the grassroots.