*Executive Director commends Gov Zulum’s commitment to health sector
By; SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri
The acting Executive Director of Borno State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (BPHDA), Dr Aliyu Shettima has commended Governor Babagana Umara Zulum for his untiring support and attention to the health sector which earned the state national awards and funds on health management and healthcare facilities provision.
He also disclosed that Borno State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (BSPHCDA) has has been awarded the best agency in Nigeria in terns of provision and management of primary healthcare facilities in the state being rated the first in the country last year 2022 while the Northern Governors Forum awarded the Borno State Primary Healthcare Development Agency also as the most prudent and transparent health agency in Nigeria.
The Executive Director who stated this in his office on Saturday, said, “We have put in place necessary measures to ensure that we prevent cholera outbreak in the state, as we are working with other line ministries to ensure that.
“Last year, we had an outbreak of Chimera in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp in Bama but just yesterday we deployed a team to access the camp and see how we can work with other line ministries to look into the environment for the parent outbreak.
“The state government has won the National Leadership award of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and Nigerians Governors Forum (NGF) where it attracted some funds to the state”, Dr. Shettima said.
The Executive Director while briefing journalists in his office on the performance or activities if the agency, its challenges and prospects, added that primary health care service delivery across the present 121 PHC facilities both basic and local in about 121 wards out if the targeted 312 wards of the state has been accorded priority by Governor Babagana Zulum in the area of recruitment of over 1,000 health workers, rehabilitation and construction of health facilities, as well as provision of drugs and immunization facilities among others
He explained further the Borno State Government through the national health programme and in collaboration with the overseeing State Ministry of Health and Human Services and State Primary Healthcare Development Agency have been operating smoothly and effectively under one roof as a team to meet up with the mandate of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency which coordinates their activities in all the made 121 primary healthcare facilities across 121 wards with at least one health facility in each of the 121 wards of the state.
Dr. Shettima further said that Borno State Government has already completed its an assessment for possible scaling up of additional 131 health facilities through either construction, rehabilitation and upgrading of the health facilities in the remaining wards across the state while pointing out that the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency has been very supportive in many ways as it provides funds for number of projects across the existing 121 health facilities with 76 midwives, 3 doctors apart from the 50 medical doctors that the state has under the PHCDA among other health workers
He also said that the agency has put in place all the measures to prevent outbreak of cholera in the state with the deployment of a team of staff to suspected areas of prevalence of diseases like vomiting and passing watery stool especially during the raining season as a result of poor sanitation and blockage of drainages and soak aways in collaboration with the state Ministry of Health and Environmental Sanitation Board across the state.
