Stakeholders in the healthcare sector of Bauchi State have been charged to ensure the sustainability of the support and interventions provided by the USAID-funded Integrated Health Programme (IHP) as it closes its 5-year programme in the state.
The charge was made by the State Director of USAID-IHP, Dr Siaka Alhassan, at the Closeout Dissemination meeting held at the Conference Hall of the Chartwell Hotel (New Extension), Bauchi, on Tuesday.
In his opening remarks, the USAID-IHP State Director emphasised that the only way the impact of the five years of intervention can be made is to sustain every aspect of the implementation of the programmes.
Siaka Alhassan stressed that if the various interventions are abandoned by the stakeholders, then the aim and objective of the programme have been defeated, thereby retrogressing.
According to him, “Going forward, the sustainability of IHP interventions in Bauchi State rests on you, the people that are here. You are invited here because you are relevant and have a role to play in the sustainability of the programme.”
“We believe that the future is in your hands; you are the ones who will ensure that all the projects continue to improve because development work is a lifelong thing. We all must be committed to what we plan to do,” he said.
He disclosed that IHP did a lot to ensure improved healthcare service delivery in the state, as can be witnessed across the state, expressing hope that things will not be allowed to go back to the state they were before the intervention.
In his remarks, Bauchi State Commissioner of Health, Dr Adamu Sambo, commended USAID-IHP for the various interventions in the state in the past 5 years, saying that the achievements recorded cannot be overemphasised.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ali Babayo, the Commissioner stressed that without the intervention, most of the improvement in the health sector would not have been possible.
The Commissioner added that the State Government is well pleased with the various programmes and projects embarked upon and completed by IHP, which he said have impacted positively on effective and efficient healthcare service delivery across the state.
Adamu Sambo then assured that the government will ensure the sustainability of all the programmes and projects, whether completed or ongoing, in order to ensure that people benefit from them.
He, however, hoped that IHP would come back to Bauchi in another form because, according to him, “You have not completed the metamorphosis you started in the health sector; we want you back here; please come back.”
The Commissioner stressed that the programme started just like yesterday, and today it is closing out, a development he said is part of existence and development.
All implementing partners and supporting organisations commended the wonderful achievements recorded by the USAID-IHP project, describing them as unprecedented in the history of Bauchi State.
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