![The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate. [PHOTO CREDIT: Official X handle of Mr Pate | via https://x.com/muhammadpate/status/1812790729107816486/photo/1]](https://i0.wp.com/media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2024/10/Muhammad-Ali-Pate.jpeg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1)
The federal government has distributed drugs, ambulances, and emergency obstetric and newborn care equipment worth approximately ₦10 billion to health facilities in Bauchi State.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, inaugurated the distribution on Saturday. Mr Pate stated that the intervention is part of federal efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery and improve maternal, newborn, and child health services across the state.
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In addition to general equipment, the government has provided free delivery kits for pregnant women, alongside sexual and reproductive health commodities. According to the Minister, general hospitals and 20 primary healthcare (PHC) centres will receive essential medical equipment, while a further 20 facilities across the state’s local government areas will be supplied with drugs and other health commodities.
The equipment includes labour and delivery tools, theatre equipment for caesarean sections, neonatal intensive care technology, maternity laboratory apparatus, oxygen supplies, and blood pressure monitors. Furthermore, the government has provided 15 tricycle ambulances, six conventional ambulances, and 17,000 maternity kits for expectant mothers.
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Mr Pate noted that these interventions are designed to improve access to quality healthcare for vulnerable groups, in line with the reforms of President Bola Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda”. He added that more than 45 million Nigerians are currently accessing healthcare services quarterly, supported by ongoing investments in PHC infrastructure, equipment, commodities, and human resource development.
The Minister highlighted several recent healthcare infrastructure projects in the state, including the upgrade of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Azare; the establishment of the North-East Vesicovaginal Fistula Centre in Ningi; and the ongoing expansion of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBU-TH). These interventions also include the construction and revitalisation of 100 PHCs through a collaboration between the federal and state governments.
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Mr Pate commended the state government, traditional rulers, and frontline health workers for their commitment to improving service delivery.
Representing the State Governor, Bala Mohammed, the Deputy Governor, Auwal Jatau, lauded the gesture, stating that the provision of sexual and reproductive health commodities and ambulances would significantly complement the state’s efforts to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality, particularly in underserved rural communities. Mr Mohammed also pledged to ensure the effective utilisation of the equipment.
The Chief Medical Director of ATBU-TH, Yusuf Jibrin, echoed these sentiments, commending the federal government for prioritising healthcare reform and assuring that the new assets would be effectively deployed to improve services across the state.
(NAN)
