ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi –
Bauchi State government through its Ministry of Health, has organized a two day summit tagged: 1st Bauchi Health Summit.
The summit, organized in collaboration with the Arewa Research Development Project, has the theme: “Optimizing the health care system in the state” is holding at the Command Guest House, Bauchi.
Speaking while declaring the two day summit open on Monday, the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, said that Nigerians will soon have free and easy access to Medicare as the Federal Government is set to establish an emergency medical and ambulance management system across the country in line with the best world practices on health care delivery services.
He also said that the Federal Government plans to provide a functional General Hospital in every local government area and one Comprehensive Primary Health Center in every political ward across the country.
Ehanire added that when fully functional, Nigerians particularly pregnant women, can simply call the ambulance to convey them to the nearest health facility to be attended to free of charge stressing that government is committed to effective health care reform in the country.
On the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, the Minister said that it came at a time when most countries including Nigeria were less prepared.
He said therefore that “it (COVID-19 pandemic) exposed our inadequacies in the health care delivery services. We were caught hands down though we were able to tackle and overcome the pandemic”.
He further said that: “We are planning to have 24 hours effective primary health care delivery services.
“The agency will have a regular power supply most probably through solar energy, free flow of water and every other things needed for effective and efficient service. We hope that state governments will key into the project.”
Ehanire also said that health reform is what is needed to make service delivery in the sector more efficient and effective for the people to feel the positive impact.
“This administration take health care delivery services very important the more reason it is doing everything possible to make it service friendly for Nigerians to access,” he declared.
Speaking earlier in a keynote address, the Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Usman Bugaje, said that the Bauchi Health Summit is the First comprehensive Health Summit that is taking place in the northern part of the country.
He called on the Bauchi State government to revive drug production in the state Specialist Hospital to increase drug supply to the people.
Bugaje who is the Founder of the Arewa Research Development Project, said by producing these drugs, the state will be able to measure the quality of what is produced and it will reduce dependance on foreign durgs pointing out that “the quality of most of the foreign drugs imported into the country are comprised.”
He said the Summit will take a holistic approach by discussing the primary, second and tertiary health care institutions in the State.
Also in his speech, Gov. Bala Mohammed, said that the state has successfully conquered the novel Coronavirus in the state.
He said because he and his deputy were index cases, it beheld on them to make sure that the virus was given the required seriousness it deserved, adding that he was happy with what they have done so far.
Mohammed said: “We are very happy with what we have done so far, since we are the index case, me and my deputy, it behold on us to make sure that we have given it the required seriousness it deserved and we must appreciate what the NCDC, the federal ministry of health and our developing partners has done.
“We identified and collaborated with experts in public health, epidemiologists, laboratory scientists within and outside our state, we developed a template based on the global strategies of fighting COVID-19, namely, testing, isolation, treatment and contact tracing.
“Under the guidance of NCDC and with active assistance from North East Development Commission (NEDC), we established two reference laboratories in our Specialist hospital and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) which added momentum to our robust drive in containing the spread of the disease.”
According to the governor, as the pandemic progressed, the state recorded the highest case in June with the number of 284 positive patients, but “am happy to inform you that the state has recorded the lowest figure in September, 2020.”
He added: “I’m proud to say Bauchi state has successfully conquered the disease and flatten the curve.
“Only a few weeks ago, our experts from our laboratories were invited by our sister states while they offered training and shared knowledge regarding the secrets behind our success.”
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