Dr Mansur Dada, the Executive Secretary, Bauchi State Health Contributory Management Agency, says his organization is willing to partner donor agencies and local NGOs to help complement its efforts towards making healthcare services accessible to all citizens of the state irrespective of their financial capabilities.
Dr Dada gave the hints while receiving in audience, North East Regional Coordinator, Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria, PPFN.
The executive secretary who mentioned some of the barriers to universal health coverage to include; lack of money at hand at the point of health need, inadequate and motivated health personnel among others expressed confidence that partnerships and collaborations will help address some of the obstacles.
“it is pathetic that those that don’t have anybody to give them money or even any property to sell or mortgaged have to stay like that even if it means the sickness getting complicated to the point of death”, he lamented.
Dr Dada who described the agency’s major areas of focus as comprehensive and universal, listed them to include the formal sector, informal sector and the vulnerable program.
He said the agency’s long term plans is to cover the entire citizens of Bauchi state in terms of access to universal and affordable health coverage.
The Secretary of the agency who noted that his team is working round the clock to ensure timely completion of the registration of vulnerable people to start benefiting from the program said that one hospital is dedicated to beneficiaries in each of the wards for them to have access.
Earlier, the regional coordinator, Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria, North East Zone, Yusuf Wabi who congratulated the secretary for his laudable programs also said the essence of the visit was to explore areas of partnerships.
“The Executive Secretary, it will interest you to know that PPFN has been working in the north east for decades implementing health projects at different levels.
“Currently, we are working in Ningi, Katagum and Toro on integrated community outreach for hard to reach areas, under a project called WISH funded by DFID.
“The project is supporting private health facilitates in undeserved communities on family planning.
Yusuf Wabi also said his organization partners Plan International in Implementing Bauchi Opportunities for Responsive Neonatal Health in 5 LGAs of Bauchi state, whose major objective is to reduce maternal and neonatal death.
“We have also partnering UNFPA with support from Norwegian government to improve family planning units of 75 health facilities in Gombe and so far, we have improved 37 of them”, Mr Wabi added.
The coordinator reiterated the readiness of his organization in partnering with the Bauchi state health contributory agency in accelerating health coverage in the state.
