The Maternal Accountability Mechanism in Kaduna Initiative (KADMAM) has urged the Kaduna State Government to strengthen the implementation, accountability, and sustainability of the state’s Free Maternal and Child Healthcare (FMCH) Policy, in a bid to improve access to quality healthcare for women and children.
This was disclosed during a policy engagement on the status of the FMCH Policy, held at the KADMAM office in Kaduna.
The event brought together officials from the Kaduna State Ministry of Health, the Kaduna State Primary Health Care Board (KSPHCB), development partners, civil society organisations, and the media.
Speaking at the event, KADMAM Co-Chair (CSO), Garba Muhammad, explained that the engagement was organised to obtain an official update on the policy’s implementation, understand its achievements and challenges, and jointly identify practical solutions to strengthen its delivery.
Muhammad stressed that the forum was not to criticise the government, but to promote constructive dialogue and evidence-based advocacy.
“We are here to better understand the current status of the FMCH Policy, appreciate the progress that has been made, identify implementation challenges where they exist, and jointly explore practical ways of ensuring that the policy continues to deliver quality healthcare services to women, children and vulnerable families across Kaduna State,” he said.
He commended the Kaduna State Ministry of Health and the Kaduna State Primary Health Care Board for their openness to engaging citizens and civil society, describing such collaboration as essential to achieving Universal Health Coverage.
Muhammad reiterated KADMAM’s commitment to promoting evidence-based advocacy, citizen participation, and accountability in health governance, noting that effective implementation of health policies requires sustained partnership among government, development partners, civil society, communities, and the media.
Presenting an overview of the FMCH Policy, the Director of Community Health Services, Kaduna State Primary Health Care Board, Hajiya Nafisa Musa, said the free healthcare programme was introduced in 2026 to accelerate progress in reducing maternal and child mortality by providing free treatment for pregnant women and children under five years.
She explained that the government later reviewed the policy after recognising implementation challenges and constituted a multi-sectoral committee to examine its effectiveness and recommend reforms.
According to Hajiya Nafisa Musa, the review identified key challenges, including inadequate financing, a lack of life-saving medicines, drug procurement bottlenecks, outdated policy provisions, weak management structures, and situations where beneficiaries still pay for some services despite the free care policy.
The committee recommended a comprehensive review of the policy, stronger monitoring and accountability mechanisms, improved coordination among implementing agencies, periodic policy assessment, wider public awareness, the adoption of more equitable beneficiary selection criteria, and the integration of commodity supply into the state’s One Supply Chain system.
Participants also discussed implementation gaps and agreed on the need for sustained collaboration among government institutions, development partners, civil society organisations, and the media to ensure the policy achieves its intended objectives.
The engagement concluded with stakeholders agreeing to develop action points and follow-up commitments aimed at strengthening the implementation of the FMCH Policy and improving maternal, newborn, and child health outcomes across Kaduna State.
