The federal government has announced plans to supply six stocks of essential drugs and medical supplies to Gombe State under the Presidential Medical Relief Programme.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate stated this during a courtesy visit to Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya, on Thursday.

Mr Pate, a professor, reiterated the commitment of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to protect the health of its citizens.

“We are going to provide commodities that can lower the cost of access to medical services by our population,” he said.

“This is why the medical relief programme was conceived and Gombe State is one of the states to benefit from the low cost and to tackle the barrier to access.”

Mr Pate noted that he was on a working visit to inspect the achievements in the health sector, and to recommend steps to be employed by the state governor for others to emulate.

He said the federal government is aware of the revitalisation of 114 primary healthcare facilities in the state.
“Going by the last National Demographic Health Survey, we have seen a rear progress Gombe made from 2018 to 2023, and it is commendable. About 100 per cent increase in skilled delivery from 19 to 38 per cent, 78 per cent increase in the proportion of children receiving first dose of pentavalent vaccine,” he said.

“Also, 131 per cent increase in children receiving third dose of pentavalent vaccine, and 170 per cent increase in the proportion of children who are fully immunised for basic antigens and 88 per cent increase in modern contraceptive prevalence.”

He said the federal government adopted proactive measures to control maternal mortality and address challenges in the sector.

In his remark, Mr Yahaya said his administration declared a state of emergency on health and education in 2019, adding that the measure contributed to the feat achieved in the sectors.

On challenges, he listed a lack of access to quality and affordable healthcare services due to underutilisation of the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund, weak donor coordination and inefficiency in health spending.
This, he said, contributed to poor health outcomes in the state.

“We identified basic challenges people are facing and how to tackle the issues. We drive reforms in health sectors which were enforced and there was compliance which contributed to the success story,” he said.

(NAN)