By Sani Idris

The Kaduna Maternal Accountability Mechanism (KADMAM) says inadequacy of ambulances and dearth of  health personnel were the major challenges hampering smooth running of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in Kaduna State.

KADMAM, an accountability mechanism , stated this in its presentation through Mr Silas Iseva durimg a quarterly interactive forum with Kaduna State Ministry of Health and Development Partners, held in Kaduna on Tuesday

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the interactive forum was “Improving Health Care Delivery Through Basic Health Care Provision Fund Implementation”.

According to KADMAN, which spoke through one of its members, Mr Silas Ideva  its investigations showed that 78.5 per cent of PHCs in the state have no ambulance.

It noted that inadequacy of ambulances to transport pregnant women to hospitals during emergency situations had resulted in complications and sometimes death.

It said its findings however discovered that 93 per cent of the PHCs across the state had toilets, 27.1 per cent had accommodation for midwives for emergencies, especially at night, and 84.6 per cent had good sources of drinking water.

In spite of the challenges, KADMAM however commended the Kaduna State government for its efforts in addressing major problems state PHCs, but called for intensified efforts to make health services affordable and accessible for all the people.

Responding to some of the findings, the Commissioner of Health in the state, Dr. Amina Baloni, said government would reactivate its partnership with the National Union of Road Transport Workers in transporting emergency patients to facilities across the state.

Baloni called on members and community leaders to volunteer whenever the need arose to convey patients for medical care.

“We have plans on ground to buy more ambulances, and to repair the ones on ground at our PHCs, “she said.

NAN reports that the forum is a collaboration between KADMAM and the Kaduna State Ministry of Health and Development Partners.

It is being supported by Save the Children International and Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office. (NAN)