Kaduna (Nigeria) – Nigeria’s Kaduna State Government, the United Kingdom’s (UK) Department for International Development (DFID), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) have announced a new four year strategic and sustainable partnership on health and governance geared towards strengthening primary health care services in rural communities of Kaduna state, North-west Nigeria.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will advance the implementation and transformation of the primary health care system in Kaduna State, and builds upon ongoing support by BMGF and DFID for polio eradication, routine immunization, family planning, and maternal/child health services.
This was made known in a joint press statement issued by the Kaduna state government, BMGF and DFID.
The new Partnership will support the Kaduna state government’s agenda of improving primary health care delivery by working to address the root causes of poor performance in PHCs. This includes strengthening governance, accountability, the distribution of health care workers, financing and management processes, data systems, accessibility to essential medicines, as well as primary health care delivery.
According to the Africa Director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Ayo Ajayi, the gaps in primary health care service delivery are a serious challenge for Nigeria as demonstrated in the recent polio transmissions in rural areas of northern Nigeria; as such,  addressing these issues requires tackling the underlying system that delivers PHC – including and beyond the health center level.
He added that, “The Kaduna State Government is prepared to do so and is paving the way for other States. Our Foundation applauds this effort which will enable the poor and vulnerable to access needed health services. We look forward to working in partnership with Kaduna State and the UK’s Department for International Development.”
In his remarks, UK International Development Minister Wharton, said, the UK government is committed to helping Nigeria, and as part of a wider multi-sector support at Federal and State level, the UK-DFID has invested extensively in health care in Nigeria and Kaduna State, with a particular focus on primary health care, reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health, immunization, HIV/AIDS, malaria and nutrition.
Kaduna state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, in his remarks said: “I am grateful to Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and UK Department for International Development (DFID) for their support, and look forward to a productive partnership as we work together in implementing this MOU to strengthen and transform the primary health care system in the state.
“Health is one of the priority sectors for this government, and primary health care is critical to achieving our goal to deliver for Kaduna State citizens better health and ensure longer life expectancy.”
“Our programs are structured to ensure that a pregnant woman does not die due to her inability to access quality services during pregnancy and childbirth, child not lost from preventable diseases, communities not overburdened with endemic diseases, while community linkages are harnessed and promoted,” he noted.
It is worthy of note that, despite significant health investments, Nigeria continues to face high infant, child and maternal mortality rates. Statistics from a 2013 Demographic and Health Survey highlight that only 32% of women in Nigeria give birth in a primary health care facility, only 44% of children in the country are fully immunized, and almost 60% are underweight.
