By Femi Bolaji, Jalingo
Taraba State Government has entered into a pact with the Nigeria State Health Investment Project, NSHIP to add more hospitals into the health project to improve primary health care across the state.
The state Commissioner for Health, Innocent Vakkai while speaking at the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU in Jalingo explained that the addition of more LGAs under the health project would avail rural dwellers the opportunity to access health care services at little or no cost.
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He said “In time past, primary health facilities in the state used to be in bad shape and could hardly offer services, but with the coming of NSHIP, the programme has improved both health care delivery and infrastructural development of our primary health care facilities in the benefiting local government areas.
“Taraba is now 13 out of the 36 states in terms of improved primary health care delivery going by the recent assessment and I want to thank Governor Darius Ishaku for his prompt payment of counterpart funds for the take off of the project in the state.”
The Project Coordinator, Ubanus Ezekiel noted that the addition of more LGAs after ArdoKola, Takum and Jalingo which has been under the catchment area of NSHIP shows the seriousness of the state government to take effective healthcare delivery to the grassroots.
According to him, “the health project started with a pilot scheme at Ardo Kola and was later scaled up to Takum and Jalingo local government.
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“The addition of more local government areas to the programme means more people in rural areas would have access to quality health care services. “
On his part, National Focal Person of Primary Health Care Development Agency, Yohana Markus pledged the support of the agency to ensure the success of the project.