…says legacy should be measured by mothers saved, not projects commissioned

By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

The Kaduna State Government has thrown a direct challenge to the 23 Local Government Area ,LGA chairmen in the state, urging them to take ownership of primary healthcare delivery and make the fight against preventable deaths a top priority in their communities.

Speaking at a high-level Primary Health Care ,PHC Dialogue in Abuja, on Wednesday, Deputy Governor Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, representing Governor Uba Sani, declared that access to quality healthcare is a fundamental matter of social justice and called on council chairmen to become active drivers of healthcare transformation rather than mere administrators.

The dialogue, themed “Strengthening PHC Systems: A Joint Leadership Dialogue,” brought together government officials, development partners and civil society organisations to chart a path toward stronger healthcare services across Kaduna State.

In an emotional appeal, Balarabe said the debate on primary healthcare goes beyond infrastructure and statistics, stressing that it is ultimately about saving lives, particularly among women and children in rural communities.

“When we talk about strengthening primary healthcare, we are not talking about bricks, mortar, or cold statistics. We are talking about the mother in a remote ward in Giwa who is in labour at 2 a.m. We are talking about the infant in Zangon Kataf whose life depends on a single vial of vaccine,” she said.

The deputy governor warned that gains in governance, education and economic development could be undermined if healthcare systems remain weak, noting that local governments occupy the frontline position where policies are either translated into life-saving interventions or allowed to fail.

She urged council chairmen to redefine their legacies, arguing that their performance should be judged not only by physical projects but by the number of lives preserved through functional healthcare facilities.

“I challenge you today to ask yourselves: ‘What will be the legacy of my tenure?’ Will it be measured only by the centres I renovated? Or will it be measured by the number of mothers who stayed alive to raise their children because I ensured the PHC facility in my wards had water, essential medicines, equipment, staff and dignity?” Balarabe asked.

She further called for stronger political commitment to ensuring that health centres across the state are adequately staffed, equipped and funded to meet the needs of residents.

Backing the state’s position, Deputy Director for Policy Advocacy and Communications at the Gates Foundation, Ekenem Isichei, stressed that the success of primary healthcare reforms depends largely on local leadership and implementation.

“Primary healthcare is delivered in communities, and that is why you, LGA chairpersons, are not just administrators,you are champions of health outcomes for your people,” Isichei said.

He outlined three critical priorities for council leaders: strengthening governance and oversight structures, ensuring transparent and timely release of healthcare funds to frontline facilities, and closely monitoring key health indicators such as immunisation rates and maternal health outcomes.

Also speaking, the Officer-in-Charge of UNICEF’s Kaduna Field Office and Chairman of the Health Partners Forum in Kaduna, Idris Baba, described primary healthcare as the foundation for improving health indicators in the state.

“For us to make any positive movement in the right direction around our health indicators, primary healthcare must be strengthened,” he said.

Baba reaffirmed the commitment of development partners to supporting Kaduna’s healthcare reforms and expressed optimism that ongoing interventions would deliver lasting improvements in service delivery.

On the role of citizens, Garba Muhammad, Co-Chair of the Kaduna Maternal Accountability Mechanism Initiative, KADMAM, said community participation and accountability mechanisms would be vital in sustaining healthcare gains.

“We are particularly encouraged by the focus on citizen engagement as a tool for improving health outcomes,” Muhammad said.

He pledged that civil society groups would continue to monitor the deployment and utilisation of public health resources to ensure that investments in the sector translate into tangible benefits for citizens.

The dialogue concluded with stakeholders reaffirming their commitment to strengthening Kaduna’s primary healthcare system, amid growing calls for local governments to take the lead in tackling maternal and child mortality and expanding access to essential health services across the state.