Bauchi Govt Launches PIU for New Health Programme.
By Murtala Muhammad
Bauchi State Government has inaugurated Project Implementation Unit (PIU) of a new health project of over seven billion naira, Immunization Plus and Malaria Progress by Accelerating Coverage and Transforming Services (IMPACT).
The development was part of commitment towards reducing under- five mortality by half before 2030, thereby improving state human capital, health and well-being of the people.
Inaugurating the PIU team in Bauchi, Executive Chairman of the State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Rilwanu Mohammed who said the federal government had with support from World Bank had earmarked $18.5 million with a view to addressing the state’s health system which was overstretched.
Dr Mohammed explained that was also aimed at reducing under five mortality in Nigeria which was critical for its human capital accumulation and Sub-Saharan Africa.
He noted that Bauchi was among the first two states to have paid its counterpart contribution of N44.7 million as commitment funds to participate fully in the project.
The Executive Chairman who said that Nigeria was rated the highest with under-five child mortality across the globe described the situation as worrisome.
He added that Bauchi state has been selected to be among the sixteen selected states in Nigeria for the implementation of the World Bank supported IMPACT Project and will cover all the 20 LGAs of the state.
The project is expected to be implemented in ten years Multiphase Programmatic Approach with a five-year first phase coverage, where a total of $650 million was set aside for its implementation in sixteen selected states in the country.
IMPACT Project has Dr. Adamu Muhammad as the State Project Manager and fourteen members of the PIU, saddled with the responsibility to lias with the National PIU to coordinate as well as facilitate its smooth implementation.
