Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to strengthening maternal and newborn healthcare through sustained investments in health infrastructure, personnel and funding.
The governor stated this on Saturday during the flag-off of the distribution of Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) equipment at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi.
He described the distribution of emergency obstetric equipment, sexual and reproductive health commodities, 17,000 Mama Kits and ambulances for emergency transportation as a major intervention that would significantly reduce maternal and newborn deaths, particularly in rural communities.
Mohammed who was represented by his deputy governor Rt. Auwal Jatau, the governor commended the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, for championing initiatives aimed at improving healthcare delivery nationwide.
According to the governor, the intervention complements Bauchi State’s ongoing reforms in the health sector.
He disclosed that within the last year, the state government upgraded 138 Primary Health Centres to Level II status, constructed two new general hospitals and is currently rehabilitating and upgrading the Bauchi State Specialist Hospital.
He added that the government has installed 4-D ultrasound machines in 20 general hospitals, solar-powered 21 hospitals and distributed more than 72,000 antenatal care kits alongside 64,000 Mama Kits free of charge to pregnant women across the state’s 20 local government areas.
To tackle the shortage of healthcare workers, Mohammed said the administration recently approved the recruitment of over 1,500 health personnel while improving workers’ remuneration.
The governor also disclosed that Bauchi consistently allocates at least 15 per cent of its annual budget to the health sector in line with the Abuja Declaration.
He said the state had released over N872 million as counterpart funding under the Primary Healthcare Memorandum of Understanding involving the Bauchi State Primary Health Care Board, Aliko Dangote Foundation and Gates Foundation.
Mohammed further revealed that N300 million had been released to UNICEF for child nutrition interventions, with another N500 million expected this year, while N50 million was provided to UNFPA for family planning commodities.
He thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Federal Government for including Bauchi among beneficiary states of the intervention and pledged continued collaboration to improve healthcare delivery.
