BREAK THROUGH ACTION NIGERIA DONATES TO BAUCHI STATE PRIMARY HEALTH CARE DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
By Uzairu Dauda Bunga:
Breakthrough Action Nigeria, also known as “Albishirn Ku,” has donated essential health promotion items and equipment to the Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Board. This gesture marks the conclusion of their project activities in the state.
The Executive Chairman of the Board, Dr. Rilwanu Muhammad, expressed gratitude for the significant impact that Breakthrough Action Nigeria (BA-Nigeria) has made in promoting public health throughout Bauchi State.
Dr. Muhammad noted that with BA-Nigeria concluding its project in Bauchi, citizens may miss the regular health information provided on radio and television, which offered valuable guidance on topics such as immunization, antenatal care, and child health.
He commended the organization for inspiring Bauchi State to become a leader in health promotion by adopting a groundbreaking law that established local government Health Authorities, Ward Development Committees, and Village Development Committees. This initiative, endorsed by the State’s Governor, has set an example that states like Lagos, Sokoto, and Cross River have followed.
According to Dr. Muhammad, BA-Nigeria has left behind a legacy that requires continued support, to honor this legacy, the Primary Health Care Development Board has allocated funds in this year’s budget to support advocacy core group meetings in the state
. He highlighted some of BA-Nigeria’s success stories, to include Women Empowerment Groups in Ningi and Dass, where members, trained and motivated by BA-Nigeria, have seen financial success through Savings and Loans Groups. He emphasized that information is a powerful tool in changing people’s behavior and pledged to create more local support groups to build upon the foundation laid by BA-Nigeria.
Despite the progress, Dr. Muhammad expressed concern over a recent cholera outbreak in parts of the state, despite ongoing public health information campaigns. The Board remains committed to raising awareness on preventive health measures, such as immunization, facility-based delivery, exclusive breastfeeding, and other behavior-change practices that promote public health.
As part of its project close-out, BA-Nigeria donated critical equipment to the Primary Health Care Development Board, including a 500KVA generator, refrigerators, dispensers, office chairs and tables, and other health promotion tools.
Dr. Muhammad decried on the faith of sustainability at the local government level, calling on the state government, legislature, and Traditional rulers to support efforts in maintaining the progress made. He also expressed hope that BA-Nigeria might return in a new form to continue advancing health education, which is essential for fostering positive behavior change . .
On his part, Alhaji Usman Muhammad Inuwa, the Coordinator of BA-Nigeria’s Bauchi State office, expressed appreciation for the support provided by the Bauchi State Government throughout the project, which ran from 2016 to October 2024.
He said, within Eight years in Bauchi State, BA-Nigeria reached more than six million people with targeted health messages and helped the Primary Health Care Board establish a social behavior change advocacy core group, that includes individuals from various sectors, especially religious leaders who have greatly supported BA-Nigeria’s mission.
Alhaji Usman Inuwa, urged the state government to continue supporting the women empowerment groups initiated by the project as a strategy for promoting health and economic empowerment in Bauchi.
He emphasized that BA-Nigeria established women empowerment groups across five local governments, strengthened ward development committees, and built the capacity of agency staff in social and behavior change, these efforts integrated the Ward Development Committees into the activities of the Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Board.
The project coordinator advised the Board’s chairman to ensure the health promotion unit within the Primary Health Care Board remains functional, making full use of the materials provided to improve community health.
Alhaji Usman reiterated the critical role of information in health promotion, stressing that without a functional health promotion unit, real progress would be difficult to achieve.
