By GARBA MUHAMMAD

The chairpersons of Kaduna State’s 23 local government areas have committed to enroll at least 23,000 residents into the Kaduna State Contributory Health Management Authority (KADCHMA) scheme and procure fully equipped ambulances to strengthen emergency healthcare services across the state.

The commitments formed part of key resolutions reached at the end of a one-day Leadership Dialogue on Strengthening Primary Health Care (PHC) Service Delivery held in Abuja on Wednesday, June 17, 2026.

The meeting brought together Kaduna State health sector leaders, local government chairpersons, development partners, and civil society organisations, including the Maternal Accountability Mechanism in Kaduna Initiative (KADMAM) and the Kaduna Health Advocacy and Media Alliance (KADHAMA), to address persistent challenges in primary healthcare governance, financing and accountability.

Participants at the dialogue resolved that each local government would enrol a minimum of 1,000 residents into the state health insurance scheme as part of efforts to expand access to affordable healthcare and accelerate progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

The council chairpersons also committed to prioritising the procurement and deployment of functional, fully equipped ambulances to provide round-the-clock emergency referral services in their respective local government areas.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, participants further agreed to institutionalise the use of the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (RMNCH) dashboard during council meetings to track key health indicators, review PHC performance and improve accountability.

The communiqué was jointly signed by the Kaduna State Commissioner for Health, Hajiya Umma K. Ahmed; the Permanent Secretary, Kaduna State Ministry of Local Government Affairs, Dr Mahmud Lawal; and the Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Kaduna State Chapter, Hon. Jamilu Alba’ani.

The dialogue, organised by the Kaduna State Primary Health Care Board (KSPHCB) in partnership with the EngenderHealth-led Consortium, drew participants from the 23 local governments, ALGON chapters in Kaduna and Kano states, UNICEF, the Gates Foundation, the Lafiya Programme funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the Centre for Communication and Social Impact (CCSI), the Kano State Primary Health Care Management Board and civil society organisations represented by KADMAM and KADHAMA.

Participants reaffirmed that primary healthcare remains the foundation of a resilient, responsive and equitable health system, stressing that local government chairpersons, as chief health officers of their councils, must demonstrate stronger political commitment, improve financing and ensure greater accountability for health outcomes.

They resolved to make PHC a standing item on local government governance agendas, protect and prioritise PHC funding within council budgets, conduct regular supervision visits to health facilities, and periodically review facility performance and commodity readiness.

The dialogue also called for stronger collaboration between the Kaduna State Ministry of Health and local government chairpersons on the posting, deployment and equitable distribution of health workers.

Participants further emphasised the need for closer working relationships between council chairpersons and health secretaries to improve coordination and ensure the efficient management of PHC programmes and resources.

The meeting expressed concern over the diversion and theft of medicines, vaccines, mosquito nets and other health commodities, urging local governments and communities to strengthen monitoring and accountability mechanisms to safeguard public health resources.

Participants also urged councils to invest in standard vaccine cold chain infrastructure to ensure the potency and availability of vaccines across health facilities.

They commended the Kaduna State Government for implementing the Primary Health Care Under One Roof (PHCUOR) policy, expanding access to the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) and supporting accountability reforms aimed at improving service delivery.

The dialogue equally praised the Kaduna State Primary Health Care Board for initiating the domestication of the National Ward Development Committee (WDC) Guidelines, describing the move as a significant step towards strengthening community participation, ownership and accountability in primary healthcare delivery.

Participants pledged to translate the resolutions of the dialogue into concrete actions aimed at improving health outcomes for residents across Kaduna State.