By GARBA MUHAMMAD

The Gates Foundation has reaffirmed that preventing maternal and under-five deaths will remain at the heart of its renewed global strategy, as it unveiled reforms aimed at strengthening health systems and accelerating the delivery of life-saving interventions in partner states, including Kaduna.

The Foundation made this known on Monday when its delegation, led by the Deputy Director, Health Systems Strengthening, Dr. Nkata Chuku, paid a courtesy visit to the Kaduna State Deputy Governor, Dr. Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, ahead of the August visit of the Foundation’s President, Africa and India Office, to Kaduna and Kano states.

Addressing the meeting, Dr. Chuku said the Foundation’s refreshed strategy will focus on three priority areas: preventing maternal and under-five deaths, ending deaths from infectious diseases, and reducing poverty. He explained that the reforms are intended to streamline interventions, strengthen coordination with governments, and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of resource utilisation.

He disclosed that the Foundation would introduce an Execution Grant to enable governments to implement critical decisions more rapidly by reducing bureaucratic bottlenecks. He also announced the establishment of Service Delivery and Intelligence Units (SDIUs) to provide technical assistance, strengthen institutional capacity, facilitate knowledge transfer, and support the Kaduna State Ministry of Health with a state-of-the-art Data Intelligence Unit staffed by skilled professionals.

Responding, Dr. Balarabe described Kaduna State as a long-standing partner of the Gates Foundation, noting that the organisation currently supports several interventions across the health, nutrition, agriculture, and poverty reduction sectors. She welcomed the Foundation’s renewed approach, expressing confidence that it would deepen collaboration and enhance the impact of ongoing programmes in the state.

While commending the Foundation’s priorities, the Deputy Governor appealed for the inclusion of mental health among its intervention areas. She cited recent findings by the Kaduna State Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (KADSEMHSA), which revealed a significant incidence of suicidal thoughts among pregnant women in parts of the state, underscoring the need for targeted mental health support as part of maternal healthcare.

The meeting was attended by the Commissioner of Health, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, and heads of key state health agencies. It also provided an opportunity to review ongoing programmes and agree on priority issues ahead of the August visit of the President, Africa and India Office of the Gates Foundation.

•PHOTO: Gates Foundation delegation, led by the Deputy Director, Health Systems Strengthening, Dr. Nkata Chuku(M), at the courtesy visit to the Kaduna State Deputy Governor, Dr. Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, ahead of the August visit of the Foundation’s President, Africa and India Office, to Kaduna and Kano states.