The Kaduna government has set a pace by becoming the first state to domesticate the National Ward Development Committee Guideline designed to address the state’s unique healthcare realities.

The domestication was adopted at the end of a three-day workshop on primary healthcare delivery organised by the Kaduna State Primary Health Care Board in partnership with the EngenderHealth-led consortium.

Speaking at the closing session, the representative of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Joseph Wuya, described the initiative as innovative and groundbreaking.

He commended Kaduna for taking the lead in adapting the national guideline to suit its geographical terrain, population and peculiar implementation challenges.

According to him, the exercise demonstrated the state’s commitment to strengthening community participation in healthcare governance and improving the effectiveness of WDC.

Mr Wuya commended the inclusive nature of the review process, noting that government officials, development partners, civil society organisations, traditional leaders, community representatives and technical experts worked together to co-create the document.

He particularly commended the lead consultant, Clara Ejembi, for her leadership and technical guidance throughout the three-day exercise.

The NPHCDA official also expressed satisfaction with the critical review conducted by participants, particularly the identification of gaps and implementation challenges in the national guideline.

He noted that participants highlighted the limited functionality of Village Development Committees in many communities and proposed measures to ensure equitable representation of all communities within the WDC structure.

He restated that while the development of the guideline was a significant achievement, its success would ultimately depend on effective dissemination, implementation and operationalisation across the state.

He reaffirmed NPHCDA’s commitment to supporting the state’s efforts to improve health outcomes, reduce morbidity and mortality, and strengthen community engagement in healthcare delivery.

The chairman of Kaduna’s WDC Alliance, Balarabe Idris-Jaji, described the successful completion of the workshop and development of the domesticated guideline as a major milestone.

Mr Idris-Jaji commended all stakeholders and partners for their support and commitment throughout the process.

According to him, the collaborative effort demonstrated stakeholders’ shared commitment to strengthening community structures and improving primary health care service delivery across the state.

(NAN)