By; AMOS MATHEW; Kaduna
The Kaduna Maternal Accountability Mechanism (KADMAM) has recommended the upgrade of health facilities in kaduna state with a proper monitoring mechanism to ensure effective distribution and utilisation of Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs).
KADMAM made it known at a stakeholders Parley with civil society organizations, Journalists, health sector workers, government officials among others.
In the course of the parley, Dr Mustafa Jumare from KADMAM explained efforts of Kaduna State in rapidly assessing Covid-19 Response and validation of harmonised year 2021 draft Annual Operational Plan (AOP) for the health sector in Kaduna State.
Dr. Jumare stated further that the programme was part of the quarterly Open Kaduna health sector, a mechanism , according to him created for continued efforts in ensuring that service deliveries were up to standard.
While acknowledging shortfall in provision , availability and utilization of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) in health facilities across the state , the public health officer expressed optimism in bridging the shortfall as soon as KADMAM’s recommendations were implemented.
Speaking in a similar vein , Abdulrahman Mikail who also chairs a sub-committee of KADMAM, said almost 50% of the facilities had inadequate Personal protective Equipment with about 30% operating without PPEs.
Adding his voice to the discourse , a Technical Adviser to Kaduna state Commissioner of Health, Lawal Abubakar, hinted as he presented the 3rd Quarter Health Performance Report, that it was developed on five principles.
He mentioned accountability , inclusiveness, application of rigour, use of evidence on health plan linkages and integration of policy initiatives among others.
The plan , he added was created through ; the situational analysis , bottle-neck analysis, post-field analysis , Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis.
Director Planning, Research and Statistics in Kaduna state Ministry of Health, Dr. Joseph Sunday,while presenting the Validation of year 2021 Draft Health Sector Budget, disclosed that the state strategic health development plan comprised of five pillars and fifteen priority areas , which according to him were common problems in the Annual Operational Plan, (AOP) , including .
He emphasized that activities not SMART specific, or measurable , should be contained for realistic and time-bound implementation which he noted , had no proper ownership nor clear cost drivers , and above all , appearing in multiple places amongst others.
Climax of the gathering was consensus among attendees , that primary health care centers were the first lines of support to communities and should be relatively informed and emboldened with adequate data and information on Covid-19 health protocols.
