Members of the Kano State House of Assembly, alongside top officials of the State Ministry of Health and its agencies, have brainstormed on the Kano State Drugs and Medical Consumables Supply Agency (DMCSA) Amendment Bill as part of a 3-Day Validation Workshop on the Kano State Primary Health Care Management Board (KSPHCMB), DMCSA and Health Training Institutions Amendment Bills.
The key stakeholders converged at the workshop, currently taking place in Kaduna, to provide a structured platform for meaningful engagement and deliberations on the Bills currently before the Kano State House of Assembly.
The workshop seeks, among other objectives, to promote a common understanding of the policy objectives underpinning each Bill, as well as identify ambiguities, inconsistencies, omissions and potential conflicts that may require further clarification or amendment.
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Speaking during the opening session, the Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Jibril Isma’il Falgore, said the present administration, under the leadership of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, has continued to accord priority to the health sector.
The Speaker, who was represented by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Muhammad Bello Butu-butu, stressed that members of the State House of Assembly are working tirelessly to discharge their legislative responsibilities and accelerate development across the State.
He assured the participants and the people of Kano State that the House of Assembly would continue to support the State Ministry of Health and other sectors through rigorous, strategic and responsive legislative interventions.
Rt. Hon. Falgore also commended development partners, including the UK Government’s FCDO-Lafiya Programme, Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), and Sanitas Health and Development Foundation (SANHDEF), and other development partners, for their continued support to the State Government in various capacities.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, said the review of the Bills had become necessary because the existing establishing laws had become outdated in view of the evolving and dynamic nature of global health practices and the changing demands of the health sector.
On the Health Training Institutions Amendment Bills, Dr. Abubakar Labaran Yusuf explained that the review would strengthen the health sector by simplifying admission processes, increasing the number of students graduating from health training institutions, and enhancing the quality of education and training provided.
The Commissioner expressed appreciation to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for his commitment to ensuring a thorough review and analysis of the Amendment Bills before their transmission to the State House of Assembly for further legislative scrutiny and eventual passage.
He also commended the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, the Chairman of the House Committee on Health, and members of the Committee for their prompt response and commitment to thoroughly scrutinizing the Bills ahead of their consideration and passage.
Speaking on the exercise, the Director General of the Kano State Drugs and Medical Consumables Supply Agency, Pharm. Gali Sule, emphasized the importance of reviewing and updating the Agency’s establishing law to ensure that its legal framework remains responsive to the evolving demands of healthcare delivery and pharmaceutical supply chain management in Kano State.
According to him, the review of the DMCSA Bill is aimed at strengthening the Agency’s legal and institutional framework, clarifying its mandate and responsibilities, and ensuring that its operations are aligned with current realities and best practices in the health sector.
He noted that the proposed amendments would further enhance the Agency’s capacity to effectively coordinate the procurement, storage, quality assurance, distribution and management of drugs and medical consumables across the State, while promoting greater efficiency, accountability, transparency and sustainability.
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“Reviewing and updating the DMCSA law would provide a stronger foundation for institutional reforms, improved supply chain systems, effective collaboration with stakeholders, and better responsiveness to the pharmaceutical and medical consumables needs of public health facilities,” the DG stressed.
“The validation of the amended Bill is a critical step towards ensuring that the legislation reflects the current operational realities of DMCSA and provides the Agency with the appropriate legal backing to effectively deliver on its mandate,” he added.