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From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
The Director of Public Affairs, National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr Abubakar Jimoh (retd), has stated that access to safe, efficacious, and quality drugs is the bedrock and cornerstone of a qualitative healthcare delivery system.
Jimoh made this statement on Thursday in his keynote address during the one-day seminar on “Networking Effective Supply of Drugs and Hospital Consumables” organised by the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), Makurdi.
Jimoh, a senior lecturer at the University of Abuja, noted that drugs are not just articles of trade but the lifeline of the national healthcare delivery system. He said: “Any hospital that lacks essential drugs, consumables, and hospital equipment can be described as a mere consulting clinic.”
He commended the management of BSUTH for its commitment and efforts to increase access to essential and good-quality drugs through multi-faceted strategies for the people of Benue, adding that such efforts will help eliminate fake drugs from circulation.
Jimoh explained that networking, which centres on mobilisation, consultation, discussion, collaboration, and building of relationships between BSUTH and stakeholders, would soon yield positive outcomes, crediting the CMD’s visionary leadership for drawing inspiration and guidance from the transformative agenda of the state Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia.
While acknowledging that healthcare supply chains face numerous challenges, Jimoh emphasised the need to revolutionise healthcare supply chain management by adopting digital technologies, implementing integrated supply chain systems, and fostering collaboration and partnerships, among other strategies, to overcome these challenges.
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As part of efforts to transform BSUTH into a regional hub for the supply and distribution of medicines, consumables, and hospital equipment in Benue and other North Central states, Jimoh urged the hospital management to conduct a needs assessment of all hospitals in Benue State and neighbouring states to build a database for essential medicines, consumables, and hospital equipment.
He also advised BSUTH to construct new ultra-modern, technology-driven medicine stores with strong backing from the Governor, while rehabilitating and upgrading existing medical stores.
Earlier, the Chief Medical Director of BSUTH, Dr Stephen Hwande, said the seminar aimed to bring stakeholders together for a holistic discussion on how to improve healthcare delivery for Benue State, the North Central region, and Nigeria as a whole.
Hwande noted that life expectancy in countries like Japan and Italy is 80 and 90 years, respectively, but only 55 years in Nigeria. He lamented that patients have been lost and surgeries postponed due to a lack of access to essential drugs and consumables, which are often sourced from Lagos or outside the country.
He said: “The healthcare system is for healthy living, and the essence is to prolong life. So, we want to upgrade through the efficacy and efficiency of Governor Hyacinth Alia, and we want to take Benue to the standard that anybody in Nigeria would love.”
Hwande appreciated Governor Hyacinth Alia for dedicating N84 billion of the entire 2025 budget to the health sector, representing 15 percent.
In their remarks, representatives of pharmaceutical companies, including May & Baker, Vincal, and Niemel, pledged their willingness to partner with BSUTH. They assured the hospital of the availability of drugs but urged the institution to remain faithful to payment terms.
