Some women in Kaduna North Senatorial District on Tuesday urged the state government to improve healthcare services for women and children in Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs).
The women made the call in Zaria at a townhall meeting organised by an NGO, Connected Development (CODE),
over N191 million worth of constituency projects in the zone.
The women pointed out that the state government had declared free drugs and treatment for pregnant women and children under five years in the state.
They, however, said that they still buy most of the drugs they needed from their pockets.
One of them, Mrs Aisha Aliyu from Hanwa in Sabon Gari Local Government Area of the state, claimed that the only drugs they get in the hospitals were mostly Panadol, Paracetamol, septrin and antimalaria.
She said that most times the health officers complained that drugs were not supplied to the facilities by the Drugs and Medical Supplies Management Agency.
Also, Mrs Rakiya Suleiman from Ikara Local Government Area, said: “the health officers only give us drugs of about N200 or N300.
“They usually ask us to buy any drugs that are about N500 or N1000 in pharmaceutical stores outside the facilities.”
She also said that the attitude of the health workers toward patients was not friendly.
Suleiman called on the state government to improve drug supplies in PHCs and train healthcare workers on quality service delivery.
Responding, Mr Maxuel Sanda, the Director, Administration and Human Resources, Kaduna State Primary Health Care Development Agency, acknowledged the challenges.
He said the government was working toward improving the problem of drug supply to health facilities.
He added that the law that established the State Drugs and Medical Supplies Management Agency mandated only the agency to supply drugs to hospitals.
Sanda said that the government was working toward reducing the protocols to fast-track timely delivery of drugs to hospitals across the state, particularly PHCs.
Earlier, CODE’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Hamzat Lawal, said that the meeting was organised to draw the attention of elected representatives at the state and National Assembly to carry people along in project design and implementation.
Lawal, who was represented by Mrs Lucy Abagi, CODE’s Senior Programme Manager, said that the goal was for community members to monitor the implementation of constituency projects.
He also commended the community members for providing platforms for women to participate in decision making processes on issues that concern them.
He explained that the townhall meeting was organised under the Deepening Citizens’ Interest in Government Spending and Addressing Accompanying Corrupt Practices projects, supported by MacArthur Foundation.