The Federal Government says it will provide six stocks of essential drugs and medical supplies to Gombe State under the Presidential Medical Relief Programme.

Prof. Ali Pate, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, stated this during a courtesy visit to Gov. Inuwa Yahaya, on Thursday in Gombe.

He reitrated the commitment of President Bola Tinubu’s administeation to protect health of the vulnerable people towards ensuring that Nigerians receive the care they need.

“We are going to provide commodities that can lower the cost of access to medical services by our population.

“This is why the medical relief programme was conceived and Gombe state is one of the states to benefit from the low cost and to tackle barrier to access,” Pate said.

Pate said that he was on a working visit to inspect the achievements in the health sector, and to recommend steps to be employ by Gombe Governor for others to emulate.

He said the federal government was aware of the revitalisation of 114 primary healthcare facilities in the state.

Pate said the revitalisation of primary healthcare centres by the federal government was underway to upgrade their standards to provide referral services.

“Going by the last National Demographic Health Survey, we have seen a rear progress Gombe made from 2018 to 2023, and it is commendable.

“Abou 100 per cent increase in skilled delivery from 19 to 38 per cent, 78 per cent increase in the proportion of children receiving first dose of pentavalent vaccine.

“Also, 131 per cent increase in the children receiving third dose of pentavalent vaccine, and 170 per cent increase in the proportion of children who are fully immunised for basic antigens and 88 per cent increase in modern contraceptive prevalence,” he said

He said the federal government adopted proactive measures to control maternal mortality and address challenges in the sector.

“If we focus on this we can save mothers from death due to childbirth, we are glad with the collaboration the state is giving to us and the collaboration that exists between you and our officials through the Federal Teaching Hospital.

“We want that to continue, we want to strengthen the collaboration so that obstetric complication can be treated,” he said.

Responding, Yahaya said that his administration declared a state of emergency on health and education in 2019, adding that the measure contributed to the feat achieved in the sectors.

On challenges, Yahaya listed lack of access to quality and affordable healthcare services due to under utilisation of the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund, weak donor coordination and inefficiency in health spending.

This, he said, contributed to poor health outcomes in the state.

“We identified basic challenges people are facing and how to tackle the issues.

“We drive reforms in health sectors which were enforced and there were compliance which contributed to the success story,” he said.