COFAA urges Kebbi Govt to prioritize supervision of PHCs, create budget line

By Samuel Luka

Concerned with the need to strengthen health care system in Kebbi state, Council For Affirmative Action (COFAA) has appealed to the state Governor, Dr. Nasir Idris to pay priority attention to supervision of Primary Healthcare Centers across the state.

The Executive Director of COFAA, Mr. Mbami Iliya Sabka who made the call in a press release on Monday, called on the Kebbi state government and the state assembly to also, as a matter of urgency, create a budget line for to make the supervision succeed.

Mr. Sabka who insisted that urgent budget line need to be considered for the Health System Strengthening (HSS) Cluster, explained that the project is being led by COFAA in Kebbi State.

“COFAA is making an urgent appeal to the Executive Governor of Kebbi State, Comrade Dr. Nasir Idris, as well as the state legislature, to include a dedicated budget line in the 2025 state budget”, he said.

The COFAA Executive Director explained that the budget line is crucial for ensuring the adequate supervision of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across Kebbi State.

He said that the initiative is of paramount importance for the improvement of healthcare services in the state, adding that the HSS Cluster is a consortium of six Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) working together on a project titled “Improved Quality Healthcare Service Delivery through Integrated Supportive Supervision (ISS).”

Mr. Sabka noted that the project is being implemented by Better Life Restoration International (BERI) in collaboration with COFAA, with the goal of enhancing healthcare delivery and ensuring the establishment of a functional Private Sector Engagement Department in each of the three Senatorial Zones of Kebbi State.

He noted that the project which is been funded by USAID, is to be executed within five years, from October 2020 to October 2025 and it is implemented in collaboration with Palladium and Nigeria Resource Partners (RPs).

Sabka further said a critical aspect of the project is the call for the establishment of an Integrated Supportive Supervision Technical Working Group (ISS-TWG) and a Private Sector Engagement Unit within the PHC Departments of Local Government Areas (LGAs).

“The implementation of ISS is expected to strengthen the healthcare system, enhance the quality of service delivery, improve performance, and foster open, two-way communication between all stakeholders”, he said.

According to him, presently, the project has identified a significant gap in the supervision of PHCs within Kebbi State, with the main PHCs in each ward receiving regular supervision while many others remained unsupervised.

He said lack of comprehensive oversight highlights the urgent need for the proposed budget line to ensure that all PHCs in Kebbi State receive the necessary supervision and support to operate effectively.