Gombe State Deputy Governor, Dr Manassah Daniel Jatau, has officially declared the maiden two-day Health Summit closed, assuring that the administration will carefully consider all the shared deliberations, recommendations, and outcomes in order to further strengthen healthcare delivery across the state.
Speaking at the closing session, Jatau emphasised that health is too important to be left solely in the hands of health personnel, stressing the need for multisectoral collaboration and shared responsibility by all stakeholders. Citing remarks from the American Ambassador in an earlier meeting, he noted that Nigerians must take responsibility for their own health, especially in light of dwindling donor support following the U.S. withdrawal of assistance under the Trump administration.
The deputy governor explained that while donor aid once played a crucial role, its unpredictability has exposed the need for a self-reliant and sustainable health system. He urged all stakeholders to support innovative funding approaches, community engagement, and long-term planning to reduce dependency on external aid.
Day Two of the summit featured panel discussions on “Financing Health in the Midst of Donor Funding Uncertainties.” Dr. Emmanuel Emedo highlighted the history of donor support in Nigeria, its gradual decline, and the lessons to be learned for building resilience in the sector. He praised both the National Assembly’s $200 million approval to cushion donor withdrawal effects and the Gombe State Government’s foresight in convening the summit.
Panelists advocated inclusive funding strategies, stakeholder participation, and advocacy-driven community engagement. They commended Gombe for setting the pace in health reforms, not only in the North-East but also as a model for the nation.
Also entertained were questions and comments from key experts participants in the health sector, prominent worthy of mentioning was a one time honourable commissioner of health in the defunct Bauchi State,Dr Danjuma Sulai, amongst others.
The summit concluded with the adoption of a communiqué read by the honourable commissioner of health, Gombe State, Dr Habu Dahiru, which captured accomplishments, challenges and commitments for the future of healthcare in the state. Central Theme: Transforming the Health System in Gombe State: Accomplishments, Challenges, and the Next Frontier.
In recent years, Gombe State has made remarkable progress in strengthening its healthcare delivery system, positioning itself as a model for the North-East region. This transformation is underpinned by strong political will, social commitment, and the implementation of the Gombe State 10-Year Development Plan (DEVAGOM), which places health at the core of governance priorities. The summit brought together national and international stakeholders to showcase achievements, share lessons, and chart a forward-looking agenda for a healthier Gombe State.
The summit showcased the strides of the present administration in transforming the health sector, shared key lessons, challenges and recommendations from ongoing reforms, and explored global best practices to address state-level challenges. It also charted a pathway towards positioning Gombe State as a national and global model for achieving Universal Health Coverage.
Among the accomplishments highlighted were strong and committed leadership driving reforms and innovations, revitalisation of healthcare infrastructure across primary, secondary and tertiary care, deployment of Biometric Attendance Tracking Technology which exposed 440 ghost workers and saved ₦4.5bn, improved remuneration for health workers through the approval of CONMESS and CONHESS, expansion of workforce training capacity with the establishment of the new School of Nursing Sciences, sustained financing for the health sector with almost 15% of the state budget allocated to health, measurable improvements in health indices, rapid expansion of health insurance coverage to the population, and the establishment of a steering committee to coordinate implementation of health programmes.
Challenges identified included shortage of health workforce, maldistribution of health workers especially in rural and underserved areas, low health-seeking behaviour among communities, dwindling donor resources creating fiscal pressure on the state, paucity of resources to expand health insurance coverage to the poor, and limited commitment of Local Government Authorities to Primary Health Care financing.
To address these, the summit resolved that demand-creation interventions through community health workers should be expanded to improve health-seeking behaviour, innovative strategies should be deployed to recruit and incentivise more health workers, and sustainability mechanisms institutionalised. It was also agreed that all partner programmes be mainstreamed into government-led interventions, multisectoral collaboration strengthened, and data-driven planning adopted to design incentive packages for rural health workforce deployment. Other resolutions include aligning partner interventions with the state development plan, domesticating relevant national health policies, integrating donor transition into long-term development plans, mainstreaming health considerations across all sectoral policies, enhancing efficiency in resource use, expanding health insurance coverage for the poor and vulnerable, strengthening leadership capacity of frontline workers, leveraging technology for transparency, engaging local governments in financing responsibilities, building their capacity under autonomy, establishing a tertiary health training fund, exploring the business dimension of health to attract investment, and mobilising resources through philanthropists and local investors.
Key commitments include the full approval and implementation of the CONMESS and CONHESS salary structures for all health workers in the state, sustaining the health sector budget allocation of 15% in subsequent fiscal years, and expanding and promoting healthcare delivery towards achieving universal health coverage for the people of Gombe State.
Jack.A.Tasha
Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Publicity,
(Deputy Governor’s Office)
