Zamfara Tops North-West in Primary Health Care, Wins $500,000 Grant

Zamfara State has been recognised as the top-performing state in the North-West region under the Primary Health Care (PHC) Leadership Challenge, clinching a major award at a ceremony held on Friday.

The honour was announced during an award night at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, where states were assessed on their performance in strengthening primary healthcare delivery.

In a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, it was disclosed that the Primary Health Care Leadership Challenge was introduced by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum in 2022.

The initiative aims to support the development of a resilient health system capable of providing quality services to citizens irrespective of location or social status.

The statement explained that the PHC Leadership Challenge Fund is structured to drive sustainable healthcare financing while motivating all 36 states to improve their primary healthcare indicators through healthy competition.

As the leading state in the North-West, Zamfara received a cash award of $500,000, which was presented to Governor Dauda Lawal.

The programme is jointly supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Dangote Foundation and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency.

According to the statement, the recognition underscores the impact of Governor Lawal’s decision to declare a state of emergency in the health sector, a move said to be yielding positive and measurable results.

It further noted that Zamfara, alongside other outstanding states from the North-East, North-Central, South-East, South-South and South-West zones, shared a total of $6.1 million during the third edition of the PHC Leadership Challenge Awards.

The government said the award highlights Zamfara’s renewed dedication to improving primary healthcare services and enhancing health outcomes for residents across the state.