Bauchi State Governor, Sen Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir has directed the State Ministry of Health to immediately recruit 100 medical Doctors and Consultants to replace those that have left the state service.

The Governor gave the directive on Friday at the official launching of the Maternal Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Drug Revolving Fund and the Handover of Malaria Medicines to Bauchi State Government under the Procurement and Supply Management of USAID Global Health Supply Chain Program.

Bala Mohammed who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Sen Baba Tela lamented that the Darth of Medical Doctors and Consultants in the state has adversely affected effective health care delivery services, especially at the primary level.

He also directed that qualified health workers across the state should be recruited among the thousands of volunteers in all the PHCs across the state because according to him, the state needs their services to be able to provide effective health care services to the population.

The Governor then assured that the drugs provided under the scheme will be adequately utilized while efforts will be made to ensure that the scheme did not fail because it is a revolving one.

USAID’s Health Population and Nutrition (HPN) Office Director, Mr. Paul McDermott then unveiled the revitalized Drug Revolving Fund ( DRF) scheme to ensure sustainable funding to procure, store and distribute maternal newborn and child health (MNCH) and malaria commodities

The United States Government through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) officially handed over MNCH seed stock commodities worth N364,800,000 Naira and over N80,000,000 Naira malaria medicines to Bauchi state.

This according to him followed significant investments in improving storage facilities in three medical stores and in health facilities by the Bauchi State Government.

These MINCH and malaria commodities will capitalize the state DRF scheme contribute to a sustainable drug supply system and save the lives of thousands of women of reproductive age and children under the age of five

The implementation of a sustainable State-wide Drug Revolving Fund seeks to overcome a common problem in the healthcare sector, the non-availability of MNCH and malaria medicines.

The DRF scheme which adopts a cost recovery strategy has the potential to sustain commodity availability in the 323 wards and 24 general hospitals and empower the state to extend the scheme to other facilities.

Mr Paul McDermott led the delegation on behalf of the United States Government during the Launch held at the Bauchi State Central Medical Store and handed over to The Governor of Bauch State the needed stock on behalf of the Government of Nigeria.

Records revealed that since 2019. USAID Global Health Supply Chain program – Procurement and Supply Management project (GHSC-PSM) has continued to provide technical assistance to strengthen governance structures and financial safeguards for sustainable DRF operations in Bauchi state.

An uninterrupted supply of medicines essential of Bauchi state is to significantly reduce Maternal newborn and child morbidity and mortality and meet the health-related targets of the sustainable development goals while Strengthening health systems continues to be a priority for USAID.

Through its supply chain mechanism, GHSC-PSM, USAID will continue to provide technical assistance to strengthen governance structures, operational capacity and financial safeguards for sustainable DRF operations.

Further, GHSC-PSM will provide technical assistance to strengthen the state’s supply chain through capacity building targeting procurement contract management, monitoring and supportive supervision, logistics management, human resources for supply chains and other technical areas Subsequently, DRF Will be launched in other MNCH supported states including Kebbi and Sokoto. (Nigerian Tribune)

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