The Kaduna State government says it has strengthened the sustainability of its integrated last-mile delivery system to ensure timely and cost-effective distribution of essential medicines and health commodities to more than 1,000 health facilities.

The executive secretary of the Kaduna State Health Supply Management Agency (KADHSMA), Aisha Isyaku, said the initiative had brought health commodities closer to communities while reducing transportation costs, delays and the burden on health workers.

Ms Isyaku spoke at a sensitisation meeting on the rescoped project, Strengthening Last-Mile Delivery and Supply Visibility in Kaduna Healthcare System, organised by Capacity 4 Sustainable Development (C4SD) in Kaduna on Thursday.

She said the project had improved the distribution of essential medicines and other health commodities through an integrated system that enabled multiple programmes to deliver their supplies together.

According to her, the arrangement reduces operational costs, environmental pollution and the stress associated with transporting commodities separately.

Ms Isyaku said four zonal warehouses in Ikara, Sabon Gari, Zaria and Kafanchan, established under the project, were operational, making it easier for health facilities to access essential medicines and other commodities.

She said five states were participating in a peer-learning exercise at KADHSMA to understand the systems and structures that had contributed to the project’s progress.

The executive secretary, however, stressed the need for stronger government oversight, improved planning and adequate budgetary provisions to sustain the achievements beyond the project’s lifespan.

She said the state government was working towards taking full ownership of the system, including financing and managing the distribution of health commodities.

Earlier, Kolo Yakubu, programme director of the project, said the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-supported initiative had secured an extended implementation period from July 2026 to September 2029, following the completion of its one-year pilot phase.

Mr Yakubu said that before the intervention, health workers sometimes travelled more than 200 kilometres to collect supplies, taking them away from their primary responsibility of providing healthcare services.

He said the previous system also experienced delays in tracking commodities, stock shortages and wastage, while different public health programmes operated separate delivery schedules.

Mr Yakubu said the intervention had helped address these challenges through coordinated distribution, improved supply visibility and the integration of commodities from different health programmes.

“Over 1,000 facilities now receive commodities delivered directly to them, instead of having their staff leave their points of service to collect supplies,” he said.

He added that five health programmes had been integrated into the distribution system, allowing their commodities to be transported together with essential medicines.

Mr Yakubu said the intervention had also supported the recapitalisation of drug revolving funds in 99 primary healthcare facilities and about five secondary healthcare facilities to improve medicine availability.

He said on-time delivery had risen to more than 95 per cent, while the average turnaround time for fulfilling supply requests had reduced from seven days to about 40 hours.

Mr Yakubu said the project had also contributed to increased access to family planning services, with the number of women accessing the services monthly rising from about 62,000 to approximately 122,000 during the reported period.

Mr Yakubu, however, identified governance gaps, data visibility and the need for sustainable financing as issues requiring continued attention.

The Commissioner for Health, Ummu Ahmed, represented by the Director of Health Planning and Research, Sunday Joseph, commended C4SD and other stakeholders for their contributions to strengthening the state’s healthcare supply system.

She assured that the state government remained committed to ensuring that health commodities reached citizens across the state.

The meeting brought together relevant stakeholders to review the project’s achievements, discuss implementation priorities and strengthen arrangements for government ownership and long-term sustainability.

(NAN)