Gov.Inuwa Yahaya disburses about 120,000,000 Naira to health facilities in Akko and Billiri LGAs to improve maternal and child death

Gov. Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State has disbursed N118,950,000 to 36 Health facilitates across Billiri and Akko Local Government Areas of the state for State Health Investment Project (NSHIP) aimed at improving Maternal and child health. The governor disbursed the Cheques in Billiri and Akko LGAs respectively during the inauguration ceremony of scale up NSHIP projects in the two areas. He said the project which is world Bank assisted, seeks to provide managerial autonomy to health facilities and strengthen accountability mechanisms at LGAs. He said 17 Primary Health Care Facilitates and one General Hospital in Billiri received N57.95 million while in Akko 16 Primary Health Care Facilities, Cottage Hospital, Pindiga, and General Hospital, Akko, got N61 million. The Governor said the money was meant for the purchase of essential drugs, improvement of infrastructure among other things. He said the money would be disbursed on quarterly basis but based on performance of the facilities. Yahaya called on the beneficiaries to ensure proper utilisation of the money given to them. Malam Haruna Ali, Ag Executive Secretary, Gombe State Primary Health Care Development Agency (GSPHCDA), said NSHIP programme disbursed funds to health facilities based on the quantity of services provided to the population. According to him, the autonomy NSHIP gives to contracted health facilities allows them to undertake infrastructural improvement of their health facilities. He said the project started with Gombe LGA in 2017 as the pilot LGA where 21 health facilities were engaged and subsequently the programme scaled -up to Dukku, Balanga, and Yamaltu/Deba LGAs. In his speech Executive Director National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Shuaib Faisal, said 152 LGAs serving 2000 health care facilities with over 25 million people were benefiting from the project across the implementing states.