Multiple Micronutrient Supplements captured, as Bauchi reviews essential medicines list
By Samuel Luka,
Bauchi
Bauchi state government has in collaboration with FHI360 Alive and Thrive, reviewed the state’s essential medicines list (EML) with the inclusion of Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS).
Speaking to newsmen after the end of a two-day review workshop for essential medicines list for Adults and children on Wednesday, the Managing Director of the state Drugs and Medical Consumables Management Agency (DMMA), Pharmacist Abdukadir Ahmed, pledged the availability of all the reviewed essential medicines across the state’s health facilities.
Pharm Abdukadir Ahmed who is also the Chairman of the Essential medicines list review committee, said the EML is a document that was developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1977 for Nations and groups to adopt, stressing that Nigeria has since then adopted it.
The MD who recalled that Bauchi state adopted EML in 2013 and was not reviewed until 2023, assured that after the current review in 2025, the state will be reviewing it in two or three years.
He said apart from MMS other newer medicines found to be very essential and useful have also been added to the list.
“We know that the Nutrition International is piloting a research in Dass, Ganjuwa and Giade local government areas of the state, disclosed that the MMS has already been included in the EML, noting that it is available in state’s drugs wharehouse.
The MD said Alive and Thrive has already taken the challenge as the pilot research been carried out by Nutrition International geared towards ending, stating that the state has more than 200,000 doses of MMS in its wharehouse ready to be deployed to the remaining LGs.
“If you were here yesterday, the Chairman of the Bauchi state Primary Healthcare Development Board, Dr. Rilwanu Mohammed said, it is more of a directive that all of us would put it in the state budget, all the health MDAs that are related in order to pull resources so that there will be sustainability of the supply of the MMS”, Pharmacist Abdukadir recalled.
He assured that stronger mechanisms have been put in place to ensure the availability of all the medicines captured in the list across all the about 1000 public health facilities in the state.
The MD who assured that the drugs wharehouse is fully stocked, said committees have been put in place to check any possible threat of diversion of the medicines in the health facilities.
“We have put a system, with the steering committee headed by the commissioner of health with a view to addressing such issues.
Our Correspondent reports that the workshop had in attendance, gynecologists, dietitians, pharmacists, midwives, nurses, doctors, officials of primary healthcare development board, among others as participants.