The Kogi State Primary Health Care Development Agency (KSPHCDA), has commenced the disbursement of funds to 220 selected and verified primary health care centers across 21 local government areas of the state.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Executive Director of the KSPHCDA, Dr Abubakar Yakubu and made available to newsmen by Dr. Bola Jonah, the Focal Person, Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), on Thursday in Lokoja.

According to him, the BHCPF is a Federal Government health intervention geared towards ensuring Direct Facility Funding (DFF) to all the selected and verified primary health care centres, to help revitalize primary health care delivery in the country.

He explained that the funds were send directly from a pool to the health facilities, to support the facilities in ensuring minor face lift, recruitment of adhoc staff, purchase of drugs and other required commodities, among others.

He further disclosed that a total of 220 facilities would receive the sum of N132,330,000 as Direct Facility Funding (DFF) for the second and third quarter disbursement for the year 2022.

”The agency appreciates the State Governor, His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, for playing significant role in ensuring that the state was qualified to be selected to benefit from this intervention.

”’His Excellency had ensured that funds were released for the baseline assessment, state training of trainers; cascade training at the local government, verification exercise, and in addition approved the counterpart funds for the intervention to be possible,” he said.

He added that the state had constituted a robust supervision, monitoring and evaluation team, who would move into action immediately to monitor the utilization of the funds by the benefitting facilities.

”It is with hope that the selected Health facilities will utilize the resources according to the approved Quarterly Business plans and by extension the Annual Quality improvement plans,” Yakubu said.

He appreciated all the Teams from the National Primary Health Care development agency (NPHCDA), National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the Kogi team members and development partners for their support all through the processes.

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Kogi State Government on Monday night eventually took delivery of about 16, 900 doses of the AstraZeneca Vaccine, to be flagged off in the state on Tuesday.

Dr Abubakar Yakubu, the Executive Director of Kogi State Primary Health Care Development Agency (KSPHCDA), led a team of officials from the agency and Kogi Ministry of Health to receive the vaccines at the National Programme on Immunization (NPI) Unit of the State Central Medical Store, Lokoja.

Speaking to newsmen shortly after taken delivery of the vaccines, Yakubu said that the most awaited COVID-19 vaccines arrived Kogi from Abuja at about 7:40 pm, saying the state was well prepared for it.

”We have about 16,900 doses of the vaccine, and by tomorrow Tuesday we hope to flag off the campaign in the Ministry of Health.

”The firstline of recipients of the vaccines are the health workers which will be demonstrated on Tuesday by 12 noon at the ministry.

”The vaccine administration will be followed by the frontline essential non health workers like the police, military, NSCDC, Custom men among others”, Yakubu said

He added that the Ministry intended to carry out the campaign as efficient as they could because the state was a bit behind scheduled compared to other States, who had almost completed their 10 days mandatory campaign for the administration of the vaccines.

The Executive Director noted that the state was initially expecting about 45, 000 doses of the vaccines from NPHCDA, which accounted for one per cent of the total population of Kogi State.

”But to our surprise, we are being supplied with 16,900 doses now, I think there will be further reconciliation to send the balance of the doses as soon as possible”, he said.

Also speaking, Alh. Acheku Yusuf, Kogi State Health Promotion Officer, said the Ministry had solicited the support of all relevant stakeholders, and running jingles to ensure adequate sensitisation of the people about the vaccines.

On her part, Mrs Bilikisu Adagiri, the State Cold Chain Officer, said the state was fully prepared for the administration of the vaccines to people above 18 years.

Mr Olumide Ade-Yeye, the Vaccine Security and Logistic Consultant, UNICEF Kogi, said they were happy as a State to be part of those who would participate in COVID-19 vaccination.

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By Stephen Adeleye

The Kogi State Primary Health Care Development Agency (KSPHCDA) has solicited the support of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) for replacement of the looted and vandalised medical items at Kogi Cold Store and NPI offices during the EndSARS protest.

It would be recalled that Kogi State Cold Store and NPI offices were looted and vandalised by hoodlums on October 26, 2020, during the EndSARS protest that ravaged the entire country.

Dr Abubakar Yakubu, the Executive Secretary of KSPHCDA, made the appeal when he led a team on a courtesy and congratulatory visit to the Executive Director of NPHCDA, Dr Faisal Shuaib in Abuja, on his re appointment for another four years in office.

Yakubu eulogised the ED for tremendous achievements the agency had recorded under his leadership, stressing that his reappointment did not come as a surprise based on his track records of achievements in primary health care and disease control as a whole in Nigeria.

”I wish to also maximize this opportunity to formally submit a report on the unfortunate vandalism of the Kogi State Cold Store and NPI offices on the 26 of October, 2020.

”The State and Agency has been brought to ground zero and we seek for considerations to our plight”, Yakubu said.

Yakubu appealed to the ED to support the State for the release of cold chain equipment for the replacement of the looted ones such as freezers, refrigerators, cold boxes, vaccine carriers, among others.

He further asked for funding and technical support for the repair of the two damaged walk-in cold rooms, facilitate and support the implementation of the IMPACT project in Kogi State.

He stressed that the impact of the looted and damaged cold chain equipment for Routine Immunization service delivery was grave, saying access to services would be hindered as the vaccines stored at LGA levels would soon be exhausted.

Yakubu prayed for more fruitful years and more wins ahead for the ED NPHCDA.

Responding, the Executive Director NPHCDA, Dr Faisal Shuaib, thanked Dr Yakubu and his team on behalf of the management and staff of NPHCDA.

”I want to say thank you very much for this impressive efforts to come all the way from Kogi to visit us.

”I want to assure you that we will do the best we can as an agency to help you address all the issues that you have raised.

”Hopefully, within the next one week we will be able to address some of these issues you have raised if not all of them”, Shuaib said.

On the issue of attracting more partners to the state, Shuaib noted that it was not the number of partners that matters but the effectiveness of collaboration and support from partners.

”It is not enough to bring in partners but we will work with only partners that are good to go and most productive.

”In terms of some of the programmes, I will still emphasis that we get back to the workings which will be more easier and enhance our diplomatic efforts.

”Once again I want to say thank you very much for coming, I know these are very challenging times for you because of the multiple challenges that you have to face notwithstanding some of the political issues that also exist.

”But this is an opportunity for you to imagine how you can transform primary healthcare in Kogi and I am hopeful that at the end of this crisis period you would come out stronger and be more effective towards the delivery of quality primary healthcare to the people of Kogi State”, he said.

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Kogi State Government on Wednesday, said it had concluded plans to immunise about 1. 6 million children aganst measles and meningitis disease across the 21 local government councils of the state.

The Executive Director, Kogi State Primary Health Care Development Agency (KSPHCDA), Dr. Abubakar Yakubu, who disclosed during a press briefing in Lokoja, said the state’s Meningitis and Measles vaccination Campaign would commence on October. 8.

He said that children within the ages of 9 months and 59 months totaling 866,328 would be immunised against measles while children within the ages of one year and five years totaling 815,368 would be immunised against meningitis.

Yakubu noted that the objectives was to reduce measles transmission in Nigeria and attain measles elimination goal of 2012-2028, adding that it would also protect all new birth cohorts in the state of the meningitis belt against meningitis.

According to Yakubu, measles is a highly infectious air borne disease caused by the Measles virus through respiratory droplets; one of the childhood killer diseases and tends to occur in epidemics.

He defined meningitis as a dangerous infectious disease that affects the coverings of the brain and spinal cord, caused by viral, bacterial or fungal, saying viral remained the commonest form of meningitis.

He urged all traditional leaders, religious leaders, parents and all stakeholders to ensure that all targeted children are present for vaccination.

He said that wife of the Kogi Governor, Hajia Rashida Bello is expected to flagged off the campaign on October 8, at NPI in Okene Local Government Council.

He added that the vaccination campaign would be conducted using various government approved health facilities and designated temporary fixed and mobile centers such as schools, churches, mosques, markets, parks, among others.

”All vaccines are free and safe; mothers and caregivers should avail themselves of this opportunity and make sure their children are vaccinated”, Yakubu said.

He reiterated the full commitment of Gov. Yahaya Bello to the immunisation programme, while thanking the governor for his unflinching support to the programme.

He also thanked the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and partners such as UNICEF, WHO, AFENET/NSTOP, CDC, GAVI, for the funding, technical and logistics support to ensure quality campaign implementation.

Mr Abdulazeez Yahya, representative from NPHCDA Abuja, noted that the target for the elimination of minigistis and measles in Nigeria had been extended to 2028 instead of the initial year 2020.

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The Kogi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (KGSPHCDA) on Tuesday in Lokoja, commenced a three-day training on handling and management of vaccine, for immunisation officers across the state.

The participants at the training are Local Immunisation Officers (LIOs) and Cold Chain Officers (CCOs) from the 21 local government areas of Kogi State.

In his opening remarks, the Executive Director of KGSPHCDA, Dr Abubakar Yakubu, said the training was expected to equip participants with adequate knowledge on proper handling and management of Vaccine.

He added that the training would enable the participanta to avoid and reduce vaccine wastages through breakage, exposure to harmful temperature, VVM change and even expiration of vaccines in their custody.

According to Yakubu, the importance of keeping our vaccines sterile and managing them, both at the State and Local Government levels cannot be overemphasised.

”Vaccines are given to us free but they are not cheap and that is why everyone saddled with the responsibility of handling, storing and administering these vaccines must ensure proper handling procedures.

”At the State level, the Agency has been able to tackle the issue of poor or no power supply for proper vaccine storage by providing 25 tons Cold room and 100KVA Solar energy.

”So far, we are keeping vaccines at the recommended temperature.

”With the provision and recent distribution of Solar Drive Refrigerators (SDRs) to the LGAs, we implore you to emulate same gestures and keep vaccines stored properly.

”We are hopeful that we will receive more SDRs soon to be distributed to health facilities where they have none but are needed,” Yakubu said.

He noted that the Agency had planned a training such as this in the past, but was grounded for paucity of funds, while commending the UNICEF for their assistance in making the training a reality.

He said that a monitoring team had been put in place, warning that officers who displayed lackadaisical attitude to their responsibility would not be spared.

He, therefore, urged the participants to take utmost advantage of the training to update and upgrade themselves with knowledge to function at their best.

”The State highly appreciates UNICEF and other Development Partners who bore the expenses of this training and contributed to its success.

”We remain grateful and live in the hope that more support would be gained in the future”, Yakubu said.

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