Borno, Af-nship Signs Purchase Contract Documents With Additional Health Facilities To Strengthen Health Care Delivery

Borno State Primary Health Care Development Agency (BSPHCDA) and Additional Financing -Nigeria State Health Investment Project (AF-NSHIP), a World Bank assisted Project yesterday signed a Purchase Contracts with 32 Primary Health Care Facilities and General Hospitals in four additional Local Government Areas of Biu, Askira- Uba, Kaga and Magumeri to stregnthen the health system through strict adherence to Performance Based Financing (PBF).

The Signing of the contracts was part of the Scale Up initiatives by team of the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) after it conducted a Baseline Assessment Tour of the selected public and private facilities in October Last year.

It will be recalled that, AF-NSHIP/PBF started its implementation project in June 2017 in 37 health facilities from two Pilot Local Government Areas of Maiduguri Metropolitan Council and Jere, before the scale up training of Health Workers (HWs) and Ward Development Committee (WDC) Chairmen drawn from the additional four Council Areas, which bring the total number of benefiting facilities now to 69.

In his address at the end of 5-Day intensive training of Participants and Signing - In Ceremony which took place at Muna Hotels, Jimeta- Yola, The Executive Director, BSPHCDA, Dr. Sule Mele congratulated the HWs and WDCs for not only participating in the PBF training, but also form part of the selected health facilities to benefit in the scale up project.

Dr. Mele said, as purchaser of the contracts between his agency and the facilities, strict monitoring, evaluation, mentoring and supervision will be applied to each of the facilities to ensure adherence to transparency, accountability, community participation and good healthcare delivery services in the state.

To this end, Mele said, after signing the contracts, subsidies will be given to the facilities based on categorization and Business Plan, adding that, with the new paradigm shift, there is no longer going to be 'Facility In-Charges, but Facility Managers', where everybody will do business, work and be motivated using PBF.

He noted that, in PBF, "there is nothing like carrot, as there is going to be a Big Stick to ensure healthy people in the society".

Dr. Mele said despite the security challenges post by insurgency, the Agency expressed satisfaction with Governor Kashim Shettima's concern on how to improve the healthcare delivery services at all public and private health facilities in the state, and the support being received from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency to ensure scale up of AF-NSHIP/PBF in all the 27 Council areas of the state.

In his goodwill message, the Deputy Project Coordinator of NSHIP (National), Mr. Mohammed Bello pledged full support to Borno and its health workers to ensure healthier for all.

In his vote of thanks on behalf of the contracted facilities/Service Providers, Mallam Hassan Ahmed, expressed gratitude for the agency and members of the PIU for scaling up PBF in additional four Council Areas, and promised that they will be fully committed to ensure that the contracted facilities move from primitive to modern way of doing things in the health sector.

Earlier in her Welcome address, the Coordinator PIU, Mrs. Habiba Saidu called on all participants to observe a One-Minute silence in honour of two participants, who died in a ghastly motor accident while on their way to Yola to attend the programme.

She promised that, AF-NSHIP will continue to remember the deceased for their patriotism in improving healthcare delivery service in the state.

Saidu however appreciated the wonderful commitment displayed by the facilitators and participants during the week long programme, noting that, very soon, the project will scale up to Hawul, Shani, Kwaya Kusar and Bayo among other Local Government Areas of the state.