By Godwin Ojoshimite

The Nasarawa state government and the Millenium Development Goals. MDG, office have provided drugs worth N49 million to 39 Primary Health Care centre in the state.

Senior special assistant to governor Umaru Al-Makura on MDG, Salisu Raj, disclosed this on Wednesday at a workshop in Lafia for directors of Primary Health Centres, PHCs, and ward development committee leaders in the state.

He said that three PHCs from each of the 13 local government areas will benefit from the pilot phase of the Drug Revolving Fund Scheme, adding that others would join the scheme as it improves.

Raj explained that the scheme was introduced in compliance with the National Primary Healthcare guideline for achieving sustainable drug supply in Nigeria before the end of 2014.

“I am convinced that the provision of sustainable drug supply scheme to our PHCs will assist in reducing the hardship faced by care givers and health workers in providing effective health delivery services,” he said.

He noted that the workshop would serve as an avenue to build the capacity of the directors and other stakeholders in order to effectively manage the drug revolving fund scheme.

“Today’s workshop is a manifestation of Governor Al-Makura’s commitment to ensure affordable, sustainable and efficient drug supply to the people of the state,” Raj added.

He therefore urged participants to make judicious use of the skills to be acquired and appealed to citizens to assist government in enlightenment on the need to embrace the scheme in order address some avoidable sicknesses confronting various communities.

Also speaking, Emmanuel Akabe, the state commissioner for Health described the scheme as one of the critical things that could happen to the health sector of the state as medicine is fundamental to healthcare.

Akabe, represented by Thomas Affi,a director in the ministry, pointed out that most secondary health facilities (General Hospitals) in the state had already keyed into the state drug revolving fund.

He said the era of health facilities being consulting centres is gone as patients attending such facilities would not only be diagnosed and given prescriptions but would also access drugs.

He also said the scheme would go a long way to check the proliferation of fake and adulterated drugs endangering the lives of the people.