The Katsina State Government has launched a new guideline for the procurement of family planning commodities using state funds as part of efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery and expand access to child-spacing services.
The guideline was unveiled on Wednesday during a dissemination workshop organised by the State Ministry of Health in partnership with the Access to Medicines Initiative (AMI). The event attracted government officials, development partners, civil society groups and representatives from the state’s local government areas.
Speaking at the workshop, Katsina State Commissioner for Health, Musa Funtua, said the framework would provide a structured approach for planning, budgeting and purchasing family planning supplies with government resources.
According to him, the initiative would help prevent shortages of commodities in public health facilities and ensure women have access to their preferred family planning methods.
“This guideline is a roadmap for us to plan, budget and procure family planning commodities with state funds. It will reduce stock-outs and ensure that every woman who walks into our health facilities gets the method of her choice,” Funtua said.
The commissioner added that the policy demonstrated the state government’s commitment to improving maternal and child health through increased investment in reproductive healthcare.
A representative of AMI, Musa Abdullahi-Sufi, said the organisation was working with Katsina to build stronger systems for sustainable financing and reliable availability of family planning commodities.
He noted that the initiative would reduce dependence on donor support and help maintain consistent supply of essential reproductive health products.
Meanwhile, civil society organisations pledged to support the programme through community awareness campaigns and mobilisation efforts to encourage the use of childbirth spacing services.
The Katsina State Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Rabo Tambaya, also assured that the 34 local government councils would back the initiative by making budgetary provisions for its implementation.
Health experts at the workshop said the new guideline would increase government ownership of family planning programmes and contribute to better maternal and reproductive health outcomes across the state.