By BILKISU ADAMU, Lafia

Nasarawa State Government says it is taking steps to re-activate her Hospitals League of Friends to enhance service delivery.

The steps, according to the Commissioner for Health Pharmacist Ahmed Baba Yahya, are aimed at achieving a robust, coordinated and sustainable development in the health sector that would enhance quality healthcare service delivery in all the secondary facilities in the state.

Yahya, who was addressing a one-day meeting with stakeholders meant for the reactivation of the Hospitals League of Friends in the three Senatorial Districts of the state, reiterated government’s unflinching commitment in ensuring that all secondary health facilities in the state chart a new course that wouldchangethe narrative of service delivery.

The interactive meeting was organized by the Nasarawa State Hospitals Management Board (NSHMB), recently.

The Commissioner told the meeting that the major responsibility of government was to ensure development of policies, programmes, strategies; as well as plans that would provide direction for a state-wide healthcare delivery system and pledging government’s total commitment to improving health indices of the state.

He applauded the Governor of the stat, His Excellency, Abdullahi A. Sule, for his efforts towards revitalizing and upgrading the health sector in the state through establishment of a health insurance agency, building of additional four General Hospitals and the establishment of Drug Supply Management Agency, to optimize healthcare service delivery.

Similarly, the Chief Medical Director of Nasarawa HMB, Dr. Egba Edego, said he was optimistic that the stakeholders’ meeting would result to provision of improved quality and standard healthcare services delivery with the collaboration of the League of Friends, while noting that the synergy would also help tackle high incidence of vandalism, land encroachment, destruction of hospital equipment, improve patience relations and curb hospital staff misunderstanding for the betterment of all

Dr. Edego further explained that the Hospitals League of Friends would immediately swing into action as it would be holding monthly meetings with management of General Hospitals across the State to address issues as they arise and work towards building a formidable health system.

Accordingly there will be bi-annual learning sessions for adoption of global best practices that would make healthcare delivery service more accessible and affordable in line with the Universal Health Coverage.

Also, in their separate remarks, the Chairman House Committee on Health, Hon. Usman Labaran Shafa, and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr, Janet Angbazo, expressed their commitment and support to the reactivation of the Hospitals League of Friends, saying that it would help in achieving Goal 3 of the SDG’s which is “good health and wellbeing.”

They charged participants to be committed to ensuring cordial working relationship with the Hospital Community in a manner that would bring about enhanced performance.

The Director Administration and Supplies of HMB,Hankuri Namo, explained that objectives for the meeting include familiarizing participants with functions of the board, identifying the roles and responsibilities of League of Friends in secondary facilities and strengthening collaboration among stakeholders for effective service delivery, a theme the resource persons, including the Deputy Director, Medical Laboratory Services, Mr. Danjuma John, and Deputy Director, Pharmaceutical, Pharmacist Santali Shuaib, did justice to in their separate presentations.

•Bilkisu Adamu is Information/Public Relations Officer of NSHMB.