By Yunusa Isa, Gombe
The Gombe State Drugs and Medical Consumables Management Agency (GODMA) has organized a one day training workshop for private health facilities management on drugs subscription, management and synergy for better service delivery to people of the state.
Speaking while declaring the workshop open, the State’s Commissioner for Health Dr Habu Ɗahiru said the agency came to being to address out of stock and fake drug syndrome, as well as provide quality and affordable drugs and medical consumables to health facilities across the state.
The commissioner stressed that “GODMA is not meant only to provide drugs for public healthcare facilities, but equally the private ones, as they are also serving our people in the state”.
While encouraging the private health facilities to subscribe GODMA in acquiring their drugs and medical consumables, Dr Ɗahiru affirmed that doing so is cheaper and with quality assurance, as the agency has quality control to ensures every drug and consumable is certified before allowing it into the market.
Earlier in his address, the executive Secretary of the agency Pharmacist Caleb Faransa, said GODMA brings in sustainable access to affordable and quality assured medicines and medical consumables for public and private hospitals in the state.
He said “In an effort to fight counterfeit drugs and drug trafficking in the country, drugs management agencies are put in place to sanitize drug distribution system, track and account for all drugs from production to consumption”.
The Executive Secretary added that all stakeholders need to be carried along to ensure only healthy drugs are consumed by the people of the state.
In a goodwill message, the Executive Secretary Gombe State Healthcare Contributory Agency Dr Abubakar Musa represented by Malam Tanimu Umar, charged the private health facilities to feed the agency with counters for proper planning and documentation.
He said the private health facilities need not to travel long for quality and cheaper drugs, as all they need is now provided by GODMA at their doorstep.
Participants from across the state were taken through a technical session, where papers were presented by experts on relevant topics.