14/07/2026
14th July, 2026
Gómbe Deputy Governor Assures Renewed Action on Stronger Primary Healthcare
.....As Taskforce on PHC Reviews 2nd Quarter Performance.
The Gombe State Taskforce on Primary Health Care,Chaired by the Deputy Governor, Manassah Daniel Jatau Ph.D,has on Tuesday 14th July, 2026,has held its second quarterly meeting to review progress, assess challenges, and strengthen primary healthcare delivery across the state.
The meeting which took place at the Conference Hall of the Deputy Governor's Office, brought together representatives of line ministries, departments and agencies, local government Chairman, PHC
Coordinators and
Programme Officers,Heads of Security Agencies, Traditional and Religious leaders, as well as development partners.
Addressing participants, the Deputy Governor stressed that healthcare is too important to be left to the health sector alone, calling for stronger collaboration among all stakeholders to effectively address the health needs of the people.
He commended the State Primary Health Care Development Agency for its comprehensive report, but expressed concern over the shortage of healthcare workers at primary health facilities across the state's 11 local government areas.
The Deputy Governor described the staffing gap as a nationwide challenge, noting that the Federal Government had advised states to either re-engage capable retired nurses and midwives or expand admissions into colleges of nursing and pointed out that Gombe State had chosen to increase student intake to build a sustainable workforce.
Dr. Jatau reaffirmed the administration's commitment to addressing the manpower deficit and disclosed that plans were underway to recruit workers in critical sectors.
He, however, attributed some of the challenges facing primary healthcare to weak leadership at some PHCs and local government levels, urging those responsible to be more proactive in ensuring quality healthcare delivery.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health,Buba Yambiyu, mni, described the review meeting as vital to improving the state's healthcare system and reaffirmed the ministry's commitment to enhancing service delivery.
Presenting updates on the PHC Leadership Challenge Award and Human Resources for Health, the Executive Secretary of the Gombe State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Abdulrahman Shu'aibu, said the leadership challenge was designed to improve primary healthcare outcomes through four key pillars which include governance, financing, sustainability and quality healthcare.
He disclosed that Gombe scored second position behind Yobe State in both the 2024 and 2025 editions of the challenge, earning 400,000 US dollars on each occasion.
He attributed the state's second-place finish to gaps in funding, community engagement and other performance indicators but expressed optimism that with stronger commitment, Gombe would emerge first in the 2026 competition.
On human resources, Dr. Shu'aibu highlighted the shortage of personnel across primary healthcare facilities and appealed for the absorption of GAVI-supported staff into the state workforce to prevent their loss to other employers during recruitment exercises.
Speaking on behalf of the 11 local government Chairmen, the State ALGON Chairman, Professor Abdullahi Bappah Garkuwa, pledged the councils' continued collaboration with the Primary Health Care Development Agency to improve healthcare services at the grassroots.
In separate goodwill messages, the State Coordinator of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and representatives of development partners, including the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Cigari Foundation, commended the progress recorded during the quarter and reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the state in achieving better health outcomes.
The meeting also featured presentations on the implementation of action points from the previous meeting, the state's 2026 Malaria Control Implementation Plan, and Primary Health Care Key Performance Indicators where Presenters highlighted improvements recorded across the local government areas and outlined strategies for sustaining progress in healthcare delivery.
Jack A.Tasha,
Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Publicity,
(Deputy Governor's Office)