Muhammad Garba
Jigawa State Government has earmarked N80 million for the procurement of family planning commodities to ensure their availability and sustainable supply in public health facilities across the state.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abdullahi Kainuwa, disclosed this on Saturday during a stakeholders’ meeting on sustaining family planning interventions and marking the transition of ‘The Challenge Initiative (TCI) Intervention’ after a three-year partnership with key stakeholders.
Represented by the Director of Medical Services, Dr. Abdulkadir Yakubu, the Commissioner emphasized that family planning (child spacing) is a key component of the state’s reproductive healthcare strategy to reduce the high rate of maternal and child mortality.
He explained that Governor Malam Umar Namadi’s administration has prioritized tackling maternal and child deaths while promoting access to quality basic healthcare services for all citizens.
“To achieve the state’s broader public healthcare goals, we remain committed to collaborating with partners willing to support our efforts, such as The TCI, which provided a three-year intervention in our reproductive healthcare sector, focusing on family planning,” he added.
Speaking at the event, the Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on Primary Healthcare, Mr. Babangida Lawan, assured TCI and stakeholders that the state government will continue working with communities to sustain the gains made in family planning during TCI’s intervention and expand them for better family health and well-being.
In her remarks, the Country Director of The Challenge Initiative (TCI) Nigeria Dr. Taiwo Johnson. expressed gratitude for the support and cooperation from state and non-state actors, which contributed to the program’s success in Jigawa state.
She reaffirmed TCI’s continued support to ensure the sustainability of the program in its next phase of intervention.
The Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel and focal person for the Media Working Group on Family Planning Advocacy, Comrade Muhammad Zangina, noted that TCI’s intervention and media campaigns transformed public perception of family planning (child spacing) in Jigawa.
“Demand for services surged by over 60%, often leaving facilities out of stock for about two weeks each month. Rural women are now champions of family planning, it is no longer taboo to discuss or practice it.
We thank TCI, DEVCOMs, and the Jigawa State Government for involving the media in this vital campaign,” Zangina stated.
