Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, CON took center stage as a special guest and panelist during the 2023 Universal Health Coverage Policy Dialogue in Abuja.
Key players in the health sector, including Dr. Mohammed Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, as well as leaders of several government agencies and development partners, gathered in the Transcorp Hilton Hotel’s Congress Hall to strategize and push for increased dedication to the goal of achieving Universal Health Coverage.
As a part of celebrations for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Nigeria UHC Forum arranged the event, which had the theme “Health for All: Time for Action.”
Governor Inuwa took use of the occasion to highlight Gombe’s outstanding achievements in the field of healthcare as well as the State’s unwavering dedication to promoting progress toward universal health coverage and securing the welfare of its citizens.
He also mentioned the administration’s attempts to restructure the health sector, pointing to a number of government-introduced measures.
Governor Inuwa addressed a number of important issues, including the need to fill the shortage of qualified healthcare workers and the creation of crucial organizations like the Hospital Management Board, Drug Management Agency, Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (Go-Health), and Medical Consumables Management Agency.
In order to guarantee grassroots health coverage, the governor emphasized the renewal of the Primary Health Care Development Agency and the broad revival of primary healthcare facilities throughout the 114 wards of the state.
“The construction of new referral hospitals across the senatorial zones and the upgrade of Gombe Specialist Hospital were part of the state’s agenda to meet international healthcare standards”, the Governor said.
He also gave an overview of some of the pro-poor initiatives launched by his government, such as the use of 1% of total revenue to provide healthcare services to the most vulnerable and impoverished people.
He discussed the effective rollout of biometric attendance for Gombe State employees, including medical staff.
In order to attain universal health coverage, Governor Inuwa underlined the significance of stakeholder cooperation and restated the proverb “Health is Wealth.”
“We must have synergy of all stakeholders, we must look inwards to fill the gaps, and we must double our efforts to cover the lost grounds “, he said.