By Khadija Kubau
The Kaduna State Health Supplies Management Agency (KADHSMA) has called on the 23 local government chairmen in the state to strengthen collaboration with the agency to ensure the regular supply of essential medicines to public health facilities, particularly those in rural and hard-to-reach communities.
The Executive Secretary of KADHSMA, Pharmacist Aisha Tukur, made the call on Monday in Kaduna during an advocacy visit led by Garba Muhammad, Co-Chair (CSO) of the Maternal Accountability Mechanism in Kaduna Initiative (KADMAM) and Chairman of the Kaduna Health Advocacy and Media Alliance (KADHAMA), who headed a delegation of KADMAM, KADHAMA, the Alliance for Kaduna Accountability and Strategic Advocacy (AKASA Network).
The team was also accompanied EngenderHealth-led Consortium and Development Delivery Partners (DDP).
She said local governments play a strategic role in healthcare delivery through adequate funding, effective supervision and community mobilisation, noting that closer collaboration with KADHSMA would improve access to quality medicines and strengthen healthcare delivery across the state.
According to her, access to safe, quality and affordable medicines is critical to achieving quality healthcare and Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The Executive Secretary welcomed feedback from accountability mechanisms and civil society organisations, describing such engagements as vital to promoting transparency, accountability and continuous improvement in the state’s health commodity supply chain.
She disclosed that the agency would review and inaugurate its Price Intelligence Unit to address concerns over the high cost of medicines and delays in drug supplies, while appealing to the EngenderHealth-led Consortium and other development partners to support capacity building for members of the unit.
Pharmacist Aisha also advised residents to purchase medicines only from licensed pharmacies and accredited health facilities, warning that counterfeit and substandard drugs sold in unregulated markets pose serious health risks.
She explained that medicines distributed through KADHSMA are sourced from accredited manufacturers and licensed suppliers and undergo rigorous quality assurance procedures before they are supplied to public health facilities.
Earlier, Muhammad said the advocacy visit was aimed at strengthening partnership with KADHSMA, promoting accountability in health commodity management and exploring practical ways to improve the procurement, storage, distribution and availability of quality-assured medicines across Kaduna State.
He said the delegation was also seeking stronger collaboration with the agency to improve transparency in medicine pricing, strengthen public confidence in the state’s drug supply system and ensure the timely availability of essential medicines in public health facilities.
The delegation commended KADHSMA for ongoing reforms in the state’s health commodity supply chain and urged the agency to sustain efforts aimed at improving efficiency, accountability and equitable access to essential medicines.
At the end of the meeting, KADHSMA, KADMAM, KADHAMA, AKASA Network and development partners reaffirmed their commitment to sustained collaboration to improve access to quality medicines and strengthen healthcare delivery in Kaduna State.
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