By Judith Ipogah
The Edo State Government has launched the South-South Zone’s first Public Health Supply Chain Innovation Hub in Benin City, in a move aimed at improving the procurement, storage and distribution of medicines and other health commodities across the state.
The initiative, unveiled during a stakeholders’ engagement at the Sir Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub on Airport Road, Benin City, is expected to strengthen access to safe, quality and affordable medicines while reducing wastage within the state’s health supply chain.
Speaking at the event, Edo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Cyril Adams Oshiomhole, stressed that the availability of medicines was critical to the effective functioning of the healthcare system.
He noted that government efforts to build hospitals, strengthen primary healthcare centres, employ medical personnel and provide modern equipment would have limited impact if patients could not access or afford the medicines prescribed by healthcare professionals.
Oshiomhole explained that the Drug Management Agency (DMA) was established by law to coordinate the sustainable procurement, storage, management and distribution of quality-assured medicines and other health commodities.
According to him, the agency can leverage economies of scale by consolidating demand and negotiating directly with reputable manufacturers, instead of allowing individual health facilities to procure medicines independently at varying prices.
The Commissioner said bulk procurement would improve the government’s bargaining power, enable the state to secure quality medicines at better prices and ultimately reduce the financial burden on patients.
He called for the DMA to become the pharmaceutical supply backbone of Edo’s healthcare system, adding that, where legally applicable, its services should extend beyond government hospitals and primary healthcare centres to private hospitals and pharmacies.
Oshiomhole also advocated partnerships that would allow military hospitals, police hospitals and other institutional healthcare facilities operating in Edo State to benefit from the emerging supply-chain infrastructure.
Representing BEI Professional DMA, the Business Development Manager of the African Resource Centre for Excellence in Supply Chain Management, Mrs. Halimat Baba, described the Innovation Hub as the first of its kind in the South-South Zone.
Baba emphasised the importance of efficient supply-chain management, warning that poor procurement and storage practices could result in medicines and other health commodities expiring or becoming obsolete before they are used.
She said the Hub would promote collaboration and innovative approaches to supply-chain management, with the goal of improving efficiency and minimising wastage.
The Chairman of the occasion and former Deputy Governor of Edo State, Rt. Hon. Pius Egberanwan Odubu, described the establishment of the initiative as timely, given the challenges confronting Nigeria’s healthcare system.
Odubu said the Agency was designed to integrate procurement, distribution and supply-chain management while ensuring that government health facilities had timely access to safe, effective and affordable health commodities.
He also called for stronger measures to combat the circulation of fake and substandard medicines in Edo State.
In a goodwill message, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Eighemherio Paul Ikhumosa, said the ministry recognised the critical role of the DMA and other stakeholders in safeguarding the integrity of the state’s health supply chain.
He stressed that effective collaboration in procurement, warehousing, distribution and accountability remained essential to achieving universal health coverage.
The Executive Secretary of the DMA, Pharm. Dr. Kenny Okojie, said the agency was working to ensure that medicines procured and distributed through the system were duly registered by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
Okojie also highlighted the role of technology in improving medicine distribution and strengthening procurement planning, particularly in preventing overstocking and reducing wastage.
He added that stronger collaboration with the Federal Government and development partners would further enhance Edo State’s capacity to effectively manage medicines and other health commodities.
Speaking on behalf of the 18 local government areas, the ALGON Chairman, Mr. Sunday Ekpetika, pledged the councils’ support for initiatives aimed at protecting the health and future of young people.
Ekpetika said local governments would intensify campaigns against drug abuse across communities through partnerships with traditional institutions, community leaders, youth organisations and relevant agencies.
He added that the councils would collaborate with the Edo State Government and drug-control agencies to strengthen primary healthcare services and improve access to healthcare at the grassroots.
Stakeholders at the engagement subsequently called for sustained collaboration among government agencies, development partners, healthcare providers and other actors in the pharmaceutical sector to ensure the Innovation Hub delivers on its objectives.
