Bauchi Battles To Keep Medical Doctors

Bauchi State government is making efforts to improve primary healthcare delivery and retain skilled medical professionals to address the worsening doctor-to-patient ratio in the state. The Executive Chairman of the State Primary Health Care Development Board, Rilwanu Mohammed, stated that the government has injected N872 million as counterpart funding for various health programs aimed at strengthening service delivery at the grassroots level.

Governor Bala Mohammed has approved the harmonization of doctors' salaries with the federal scheme to prevent frequent migration of medical professionals to federal institutions. Additionally, the government released N100 million for the Children Nutrition Fund to combat malnutrition among children under five years old.

Bauchi has also fulfilled its financial obligations under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Aliko Dangote Foundation. The state has seen significant improvements in health indices, including successful immunization campaigns and increased birth registration.

The government is looking to extend partnerships for another four years to continue making a substantial impact on the health sector.