The Kaduna State Government has expanded the provision of family planning services from 255 designated facilities to more than 1,000 public healthcare facilities across the state.
Deputy Governor Dr Hadiza Balarabe disclosed this on Tuesday at the High-Level IntegratE End-of-Project Dissemination event held in Kaduna.
She described the expansion as one of the significant outcomes of the IntegratE Project’s intervention in strengthening family planning and primary healthcare services.
Balarabe said the initiative demonstrated the value of public-private partnerships in taking essential healthcare services closer to underserved communities.
She noted that the project had trained, accredited and competency-certified about 995 Community Pharmacists and Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors (PPMVs) to provide family planning and primary care services.
According to her, the private providers reached many women with family planning services and treated several children under five for childhood illnesses, including malaria, diarrhoea, pneumonia and malnutrition.
The Deputy Governor said implementation evidence showed that properly trained, supervised and regulated private providers could deliver family planning services at a quality level comparable to providers in public primary healthcare facilities.
She stressed that the state would work to institutionalise the lessons of the IntegratE Project by integrating private providers into the state’s supportive supervision arrangements, strengthening oversight and incorporating their contributions into the state’s primary healthcare strategic plans.
She commended the Gates Foundation, the Society for Family Health, professional associations, government agencies, healthcare facilities, traditional and religious leaders, private providers and local communities for their contributions to the success of the project.
In her opening remarks, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Umma Ahmed, said the theme of the event, “Sustaining Gains in Family Planning and Primary Health through the Private Sector,” aligns strongly with the state’s commitment to Universal Health Coverage and improved maternal, newborn and child health outcomes.
Ahmed said community PPMVs are often among the first points of contact for healthcare, particularly in underserved communities, adding that IntegratE has demonstrated that when these providers are appropriately trained, accredited, regulated and supported, they can effectively complement the public health system.
She added that through the project, approximately 995 Community Pharmacists and PPMVs were reached, trained, accredited and competency-certified to provide family planning services.
“Collectively, they provided family planning services to 347,703 women, while 178,125 children under five years received treatment for childhood illnesses, including malaria, diarrhoea, pneumonia and malnutrition.
“These figures represent real improvements in access to essential healthcare for women, children and families across communities in the state.
“The evidence generated must also inform policies, planning and resource allocation. I therefore encourage today’s discussions to focus not only on achievements, but on concrete actions for institutionalisation, sustainability and scale-up.
“As we disseminate the lessons from IntegratE today, the true measure of success will be our ability to translate them into sustainable policies and systems that continue to benefit people long after the project has ended,” she said.
In a goodwill message, Prof. Bello Yusuf-Jamoh, the Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Primary Health Care Board, appreciated the significant contribution of the IntegratE Project towards strengthening family planning services in the state.
Jamoh said the project had played an important role in expanding access to quality, affordable and client-centred family planning services, particularly through the engagement and capacity strengthening of Community Pharmacists and PPMVs.
“These efforts have brought services closer to communities and contributed to reducing barriers to accessing reproductive health services,” he said.
He added that the state remains committed to strengthening family planning and other reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health services.
“Together, let us sustain the gains, strengthen local ownership and ensure that every woman, man and young person in Kaduna State has access to quality family planning services,” he said.
In his speech, Pharm. Emeka Okafor, Group Director, Society for Family Health Donor Funded Portfolio, commended the Kaduna State Government for its drive during the programme.
He requested the state government to continue with the programme, incorporate the data gathered during the IntegratE Project into the state data and strengthen the existing referral system.
