Rabiu Omaku
The Nasarawa State Honourable Commissioner for Health, Dr. Gaza Gwamna, has described the state’s investment in the health sector under Governor Abdullahi A. Sule as exceptional, noting that the administration has significantly transformed healthcare delivery from the grassroots to tertiary institutions.
Dr. Gwamna stated this on Monday while speaking at the commissioning of the newly constructed Engr. A. A. Sule Primary Health Care Centre, GRA, Lafia, built and fully equipped by the Lafia Local Government Council Chairman, Hon. Mohammed Alhaji Halliru (Arabo), and named in honour of the Governor in recognition of his commitment to infrastructural development.
Commending the Lafia Local Government Council for the initiative, the Commissioner noted that the facility is not merely a conventional primary healthcare centre but a fully equipped facility, reflecting the growing prioritisation of healthcare infrastructure at the Local level.
According to him, the quality and standard of the project demonstrate the transformation taking place across Nasarawa State’s healthcare system.
Highlighting external validation of the state’s progress, Dr. Gwamna disclosed that independent verifiers commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Health recently assessed primary healthcare facilities in the state, including the PHC along the Doma Road axis, and expressed satisfaction with what they found.
He said the verifiers observed that some of the facilities had standards of infrastructure, services and human-resource deployment comparable to what is ordinarily found in General hospitals.
Dr. Gwamna explained that a functional primary healthcare centre requires the right mix of human resources, including Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs), pharmacy technicians, nurses, midwives and access to visiting medical officers.
He noted that Nasarawa State has continued to strengthen its primary healthcare workforce through sustained recruitment, adding that recent recruitment efforts would provide the personnel required to man facilities such as the newly commissioned GRA centre.
The Commissioner further noted that the state Government’s investments have covered all levels of healthcare delivery, extending from primary healthcare facilities to General and specialist hospitals across the state.
“I can’t start here to mention a lot of achievements we’ve recorded in health,” Dr. Gwamna said, adding that the scale of the administration’s interventions would become more evident as healthcare facilities across the state continue to be inspected.
He particularly commended Governor Sule for his commitment to the development of the health sector, noting that healthcare has remained one of the major beneficiaries of the administration’s investment in public infrastructure and service delivery.
While commissioning the facility, Governor Abdullahi A. Sule commended the Lafia Local Government Council Chairman, Hon. Arabo, for his vision, proactive leadership and commitment to improving the health and well-being of residents of the Local Government area.
The new GRA facility is expected to help reduce pressure on major secondary healthcare facilities in the state capital while providing accessible healthcare services to residents of GRA and surrounding communities.
The high-profile commissioning ceremony was attended by the Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State, Dr. Emmanuel Agbadu Akabe; the leadership of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly; members of the State Executive Council; legislators; Local Government officials and other dignitaries.
