FG Launches Nationwide Medical Equipment and Drug Distribution to Boost PHC Services

The Federal Government has initiated a nationwide program to distribute medical equipment and essential drugs to Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities, aiming to enhance healthcare delivery under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.The program was launched at the Prose Warehouse in Abuja’s Idu Industrial Area, with Health Minister Ali Pate calling it a “promise fulfilled.” According to Pate’s X post, the initiative will span all 36 states and the FCT, ensuring critical equipment and medicines reach grassroots facilities.“For years, underfunded PHCs forced mothers to travel far for childbirth, children to miss vaccines, and communities to lose trust. We’re changing that. Rural women deserve safe deliveries, children need vaccines, and families must access treatments for malaria, hypertension, and other conditions locally,” Pate stated.Funded by over N23 billion from federal budgets and donors, the program allocates N9 billion to equip 500 priority PHCs with 56 types of medical devices, including autoclaves, delivery beds, ultrasound machines, and incubators. An additional N14 billion will supply 80 categories of essential drugs, such as antimicrobials, antimalarials, antihypertensives, insulin, and family planning commodities.Workforce development is also prioritized. Over 69,000 frontline health workers have been trained, with 60,000 receiving uniforms and kits through a partnership with the First Lady’s Renewed Hope Initiative. States are boosting recruitment: Kaduna hired 216 skilled birth attendants and 969 community health workers, while Yobe added 164 and 258, respectively.Under the MAMII Initiative, over 411,000 pregnant women across 21 states have been enrolled, receiving antenatal care, transport vouchers, emergency obstetric services, and life-saving caesarean sections.To ensure accountability, all distributed items are tracked electronically and monitored by the ICPC and other agencies. The initiative, part of the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII), involves collaboration with states, NPHCDA, NHIA, and partners like Gavi, Global Fund, UNICEF, UNFPA, and the Gates Foundation.The government is also preparing for an October Measles Rubella campaign targeting over 100 million children under 14 with vaccines, nutrition, and malaria interventions.“The Renewed Hope Agenda is delivering tangible reform at the frontlines of care,” Pate emphasized.

Read More