By GARBA MUHAMMAD

Kaduna State has showcased its Integrated Last-Mile Delivery (ILMD) system for essential medicines and other health commodities to representatives of five states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as part of efforts to strengthen healthcare supply chains across Nigeria.

The Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Health Supplies Management Agency (KADHSMA), Aisha Isiyaku-Tukur, disclosed this during a four-day peer learning and review visit involving delegates from Ekiti, Kwara, Bayelsa, Niger and the FCT.

Isiyaku-Tukur explained that the ILMD system integrates the distribution of essential medicines, family planning and nutrition commodities into a single coordinated delivery process, ensuring supplies reach healthcare facilities more efficiently.

She said the initiative, introduced in 2025, builds on Kaduna’s existing last-mile delivery framework, replacing fragmented distribution arrangements with a more coordinated supply system.

The Executive Secretary attributed the state’s progress to effective governance, institutional coordination and sustained support from the Kaduna State Government, Gates Foundation and Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF).

According to her, the visiting delegates were understudying KADHSMA’s operational processes, governance structures and collaboration with primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities, with a view to adapting relevant practices in their respective states.

She added that the exercise also provided Kaduna an opportunity to learn from other states’ experiences and further strengthen its healthcare supply system.

Speaking during the visit, Kaduna State Commissioner for Health, Umma Ahmad, urged participating states to translate lessons from the exercise into practical reforms capable of improving access to essential medicines and healthcare services.

Ahmad emphasised that effective leadership, institutional collaboration and stakeholder coordination remained critical to ensuring the timely availability of medicines and other life-saving health commodities.

One of the delegates, Olajide Kolawole, a pharmacist and General Manager of a state drug supply management agency, described the visit as an opportunity to gain practical insights into pharmaceutical supply management, governance and operational coordination.

He said the knowledge acquired would support efforts to strengthen existing supply systems and improve commodity distribution in his state.

Also speaking, a public health consultant with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Omolara Awolusi, explained that the peer learning initiative was designed to promote the adoption of proven innovations and best practices across states.

Awolusi disclosed that 99 best-practice submissions were received nationwide, out of which 33 were shortlisted for assessment by the Exemplar Review Council.

She said Kaduna, Yobe and Bayelsa subsequently emerged as three states selected for further peer learning and review.

The initiative is expected to encourage knowledge sharing, strengthen institutional capacity and promote more efficient distribution of essential health commodities across participating states.