Gov. Bello Matawalle of Zamfara, on Saturday, launched the distribution of a multi-million naira quantity of essential drugs to all government health facilities in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the beneficiaries of the free drugs included all General/Specialist hospitals and the147 newly constructed Primary Health Centres across the state.
Speaking at the event, which held at State Drugs Management Agency in Gusau, Matawalle said, the gesture was part of his administration’s policy of promoting health care delivery for the people of the state.
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“In consideration of the enormous importance my administration attaches to the issue of health,
“We have taken decisive steps since May 2019, to revamp the health sector to meet the healthcare needs of our growing population, the majority of whom fall into the less privileged category”, he said.
Matawalle listed some of the achievements of his administration in the health sector which, he described as a welcome development.
According to him, the establishment of the Zamfara State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency was to ensure broader health coverage and to also assist in removing the obstacles “our people face in accessing both public and private healthcare services”.
Others were the launch of a programme named “Care for 34,000 Vulnerable Persons” under the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund in November 2021, and the supply of ambulances to General Hospitals.
He said the government had also provided rickshaw ambulances to all the 147 newly constructed primary healthcare centres and constructed an infectious diseases hospital at Damba area in Gusau.
The governor further cited other achievements as the resuscitation of the State Drugs Management Agency, such that the agency was able to compound some generic drugs as well as numerous interventions and health projects, at the peak of the COVID pandemic in 2020, among others.
Earlier, the State Commissioner of Health, Aliyu Abubakar, commended the governor for initiating a beautiful agenda of promoting the states’ health sector.
Abubakar noted that the free drugs distribution programme was one of the outcomes of the governor’s recent foreign trip.
According to him, his ministry would ensure the success of the programme up to the grassroots.
