A coalition of journalists and civil society activists has expressed concern over hindered access to emergency healthcare services.

The collation from Kaduna, Kano and Jigawa State at a one-day stakeholders meeting in Abuja, decried demand for police report before treatment of gunshot wounds in violation of the provision of the 2014 National Healthcare Act, specifically on access to emergency healthcare services.

Leader of the North-West group, Regional Editor of News Express online daily and Vice Chairman, Maternal and Child Healthcare-Civil Society Partnership, Garba Muhammad, also raised concern on demands for payment of deposits before attending to emergency medical cases as unnecessary as a result if which many lives were lost in the process.

“The objective of the meeting is for partners from the North-West states of Jigawa, Kano and Kaduna to review progress made in implementing action plan developed for advocacy on the National Health Act (NHA) in the Region.

“We have also developed an action plan to strengthen advocacy on ensuring unhindered access to emergency healthcare services by strengthening relationships and linkages with key actors from the Region,” he said.

He said part of the action plan adopted at the meeting is to organise a North-West Regional Stakeholders Dialogue towards implementation of the 2014 National Health Act with special interest in ensuring access to emergency health care services in the region.

According to the leader of the coalition, the three objectives of the stakeholders' dialogue include:

*To sensitise stakeholders on the need for access to emergency health care services.

*To facilitate partnership amongst stakeholder towards strengthening access to emergency healthcare service and

*To influence citizens to set agenda for political candidates on emergency healthcare service, as part of campaign promises.

“We are targeting Civil Society working around health sector, the media, members of house committee on health and appropriation from our respective state houses of assembly, the zonal Police, Federal Road Safety Corps and the NSCDC zonal representatives as well as political party candidates, traditional rulers, religious leaders, health-related professional bodies, citizens, caregivers among others,” he added

Muhammad said the programme will also afford stakeholders the opportunity to share experiences on access to emergency health care services, its challenges and way forward.

“We have come up with a survey template and have fixed November 4th, 2018 for the dialogue to hold in Jigawa,” he said.

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