From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi

The Community Health and Research Initiative (CRI) with support from the USAID Integrated Health Programme (IHP) has advocated for improvement in the quality, gender-sensitive and all-inclusive primary health care services in Kebbi State.

The Project Manager of the initiative, Alhaji Salisu, Muhammad Musa, stated this known at a one-day health sector stakeholders’ quarterly accountability forum in Birnin Kebbi.

Musa explained that the forum was organised by the initiative in collaboration with the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to disseminate a draft on the state community, transparency and accountability scorecards with the relevant state ministries, agencies and other partners.

According to him, ‘the aim of this activity is to promote partnership between CSOs, networks, government officials and other implementing partners, to share updates and Kebbi state performance on 2021 budget releases for health expenditure.

‘It is also aimed at updating budget for health care performance fund’s implementation, other health indicators using scorecards and agree on way forward to improve quality, gender-sensitive and all-inclusive primary healthcare services,’ Musa said.

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Musa, who recalled that the stakeholders had met on June 10 where they advocated prioritising five key issues on the state, noted more efforts should be made in upgrading Primary Health Care centres.

‘These five issues are, inadequate or delay in the release of key PHC services and facilities upgrading or renovation budget; lack of political will to fully implement the state health insurance; and non fully implementation of primary healthcare under one roof.

‘Inadequate human resources at primary healthcare level and no agency for drug management agency. These are the advocacies we are stepping up in order to ensure the improvement of gender-sensitive and all-inclusive primary healthcare services in state government,’ he said.

In his remarks, the state Executive Secretary of Primary Healthcare Service Development Agency (PHCDA), Dr Abubakar Ka’oje, thanked the CRI for organizing and inviting the stakeholders in order to improve on transparency and accountability in the primary healthcare services.

According to him, ‘we need that transparency and accountability not only in the healthcare sector but also all human endeavours. More than ever before, we are realising the importance of accountability and transparency, hence we have adopted the idea of bringing primary healthcare under one roof in the state,’ he said.

Ka’oje assured of the agency readiness and commitment to support and provide the needed instruments in order to entrench the values of transparency and accountability in the state.