By Asma’u Ahmad
Governor Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi state has launched the distribution of Saving one Million lives programme for Result (SOMLP for R), drugs and consumables to curb morbidity and mortality in the state.
Speaking at the ceremony in Bauchi on Wednesday, he said the SOMLP for R programme was to prevent morbidity and mortality among women and children.
“The SOMLP for R programme has the ultimate target of preventing morbidity and mortality among women and children in the state in particular and Nigeria in general.
Gov. Mohammed Abubakar
“It is in tandem with our administration’s health policy tagged “Lafiya Garkuwa five-point agenda,” he said.
According to him, the distribution of drugs and other consumables to both primary and secondary health facilities across the state under the saving one million lives programme will impact positively in healthcare development.
Represented by the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Audu Katagum, the governor reiterated the commitment of the present administration to ensuring a disease-free state.
He expressed the hope that the programme would be successful with the increase in budgetary allocation and subsequent releases in 2018 budget “which we intend to maintain going forward.’’
He identified the lifting of waiver to medical students and allied workers, continued sponsorship of medical and allied students both within and outside Nigeria as among many other initiatives on health care development.
Earlier, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Zuwaira Ibrahim, said the drugs and the consumables would be distributed to the 323 PHCs to enhance healthcare delivery across the state.
She said the drugs and the consumables would be handed over to the directors in the primary healthcare department of the state and the ward committee chairmen of the 20 local government areas.
She noted that the procedure was aimed at ensuring effective distribution and management of the items in the health facilities.
Dr Ibrahim listed the items distributed to include: malaria drugs, data tools, malaria testing kits, HIV testing kits, and folic acid for women.
“Others are 43 laptops for routine immunisation records, mosquito nets, child spacing drugs and many others.
She, however, urged the officers in charge of the health facilities to maintain and sustain the drugs and consumables distribution to provide effective healthcare delivery to the teeming populace.
