The Kaduna State government, on Thursday, inaugurated the Direct Delivery of Routine Immunisation Vaccines and other Primary Health Care (PHC) Commodities for Equity (DRIVE) Initiative.

The initiative aims to improve access to life-saving vaccines and essential healthcare commodities, particularly in hard-to-reach communities.

The initiative is led by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Also, it is being implemented in partnership with the Kaduna State Government through the state’s Primary Health Care Development Agency (KDSPHCDA).

It is also in partnership with other development partners: Gavi, WHO, Gates Foundation, Transborder Logistics, Solina Foundation and New Incentives, among others.

At the official inauguration in Kaduna, the state’s Commissioner for Health, Umma Ahmed, described the programme as a historic and strategic reform.

According to her, it represents a new era of efficiency, equity and accountability in primary healthcare delivery.

Represented by the director of public health, Kaduna State Ministry of Health, Abubakar Idris, she said that Governor Uba Sani’s administration prioritised primary healthcare, maternal and child health, immunisation, health systems strengthening and universal health coverage.

‘’The initiative demonstrates a shared commitment to ensure that no child, mother or community is left behind in accessing life-saving vaccines and essential primary healthcare commodities.

“The initiative is not merely a logistics reform but a deliberate health equity strategy, addressing vaccine distribution delays, stock-outs, inequitable access in hard-to-reach communities and systemic inefficiencies,” Ms Ahmed said.

She explained that by enabling direct delivery from state cold stores to facilities, the initiative strengthened the last mile of healthcare, ensuring vaccines reached those who needed them most when they needed them.

The commissioner emphasised that routine immunisation remained one of the most cost-effective and powerful public health interventions, protecting children from preventable diseases and strengthening community trust in the health system.

She commended the leadership of the NPHCDA, the unwavering support of UNICEF and the technical commitment of the KSPHCDA.

Ms Ahmed reaffirmed government’s ownership, integration, sustainability, transparency, community engagement and continuous improvement as pillars for successful implementation across Kaduna State.

A Director of Logistics at the NPHCDA, Hauwa Tense, said the event marked a strategic turning point in vaccines’ movement across the country.

She recalled that Nigeria’s 2021 Effective Vaccine Management assessment recorded 69 per cent in distribution at the facility level, signalling an urgent need to strengthen last-mile systems.

Ms Tense added that the previous push and pull distribution models were constrained by poor planning, inadequate funding and a lack of dedicated budget lines, leading to stock-outs and missed immunisation sessions.

‘’The initiative institutionalises direct delivery to solar direct drive-equipped facilities and establishes a structured cascade system to unequipped facilities during immunisation sessions.

“The programme introduces structured financing and links vendor payments to validated reports through the Vaxtrack platform, embedding transparency and performance-based accountability,” she said.

Ms Tense stressed that vaccines saved lives only when transported and stored within the recommended temperature ranges, explaining that monitoring through temperature tracking and Global Positioning System data ensured potency.

Also, the Executive Secretary, KSPHCDA, Bello Jamoh, said the inauguration reflected Kaduna’s commitment to routine immunisation reforms, supply chain improvement and reliable last-mile delivery, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach communities.

Ms Jamoh expressed gratitude to the governor for creating an enabling environment for health sector reforms, infrastructure revitalisation and workforce strengthening.

The UNICEF Chief of Field Office in Kaduna, Gerida Birukila, said the initiative advanced efforts to reduce inequalities and reach zero-dose children through strengthened primary healthcare systems.

Ms Birukila called for community ownership and protection of equipment, noting that a single solar refrigerator costs about seven thousand dollars and that vandalism undermines immunisation access.

She called for strategies to reach security-compromised and hard-to-reach areas, emphasising that equipment belonged to communities and must be safeguarded collectively.

Abdulkareem Mohammed of the World Health Organization (WHO) commended the federal government, partners and Kaduna State for strengthening the immunisation supply chain and reaching zero-dose children.

He reaffirmed continued technical support to ensure successful implementation and equitable access to routine immunisation services at the last mile.

Also, Mukthar Karofi of Transborder Logistics pledged full commitment to timely, accountable and quality delivery, stressing that safeguarding vaccine potency protected children and strengthened communities.

He described the initiative as the beginning of a transformative era in collaboration, efficiency and impact, urging stakeholders to ensure the last mile became the strongest mile.

 (NAN)