“Stock out of CBS commodities, a thing of the past in Kano”

Dr Imam Wada Bello, director in charge of public health at the Kano State Ministry of Health, has said Kano people would no longer have to worry about stock-out of Child Birth Spacing (CBS) commodities, thanks to the directive of the state government for the full reopening of all healthcare services in the state.

“People of Kano no longer have to worry about stock out, thanks to the directive by the government to fully reopen healthcare services; stock out is a thing of the past,” he said.

Dr Bello was speaking during a media round-table with a group of journalists advocating for CBS in the state, organized by The Challenge Initiative (TCI) and DEVCOMS Network, in collaboration with the state ministry of health. The journalists had over the past weeks visited selected primary healthcare facilities in Kano where they identified stock out of CBS commodities as a major challenge of CBS service providers in the state.

“We are now more prepared than before; we need to focus on post COVID-19 measures as regards CBS in Kano. That should be advocacy to the government to release more funds for CBS, advocacy to religious clerics to speak more about CBS. To ensure improvement in access to CBS services, there is need for more partnerships with other non-governmental organizations,” he added.

Sa’adatu Nata’ ala, the FP coordinator at the ministry of health blamed the lack of CBS commodities on sabotage by some service providers including the fact that some providers deliberately fail to make requests for replenishment  of commodities when they are out of stock. “There is nothing like lack of commodities or stock out in Kano. Our efforts are being sabotaged by some health providers who tend to send some clients to private pharmacies and chemists to buy FP commodities by claiming they are out of stock,” she said.