Beatrice Gondyi
Bauchi state government with support from United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has launched an 80,000,000 Naira worth Drug Revolving Fund (DRF) scheme.
The scheme is to ensure sustainable funding to procure and distribute malaria drugs and maternal newborn and child health (MNCH) interventions in the state.
Bauchi state governor Bala Mohammed who was represented by his deputy Baba Tela while launching the scheme in the state observed that the implementation of the scheme will help in addressing a common problem in the health care sector and the nonavailability of malaria and maternal new born and child health commodities.
According to him, the scheme could make available the drugs in all wards of the state and in all the general hospitals across the state.
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He expressed appreciation to the USAID for their support to the state assuring that government is ever ready to partner with donor agencies to make life better for citizens. In his remarks, the representative of the country director of USAID Mr. Mike Egboh explained that the scheme is under USAID’s Global Health Supply Chain program, procurement, and supply management project (GHSC-PSM) which provides assistance to Bauchi.
He pointed out that an uninterrupted supply of medicines is essential for the state to significantly reduce maternal, newborn, and child mortality and meet the health-related targets of the sustainable development goals. “Strengthening health systems continues to be a priority for USAID.
Through its supply chain mechanism, USAID will continue to provide technical assistance to strengthen governance structures and financial safeguards for sustainable drug revolving fund operations.
“It will provide technical assistance to strengthen the state’s supply chain through capacity building targeting procurement, contract management, monitoring and supportive supervision, logistics management, human resources for supply chains, and other areas.
The scheme would be launched in Kebbi and Sokoto states too”. He said. Our correspondent reports that USAID has during the occasion handed over maternal, newborn, and child health commodities worth N364, 800, 000 million and malaria medicines worth N80, 000, 000 million.
