By Aliyu Dangida
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and its partners, in collaboration with the Katsina State Government, have launched the construction of a state-of-the-art medical warehouse in the state capital, valued at approximately N900 million.
Hotpen reports that, the State Government will pay a 15 per cent counterpart funding of the total contract sum.
Dr. Saudat Bishir, Health Specialist, UNICEF Field Office Kano disclosed this at the flag-off ceremony. She highlighted that ultra-modern medical warehouse will be built to pharmaceutical-grade standards and is scheduled for completion by December 28, 2023, will be commissioned within the first week of January 2024.
Dr. Saudat underscored the project’s potential to bring significant benefits to the entire population of Katsina, with a particular focus on improving healthcare for women and children.
Following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding for the project, Dr. Bashir Gambo Saulawa, the Katsina State Commissioner of Health, spoke with journalists. He commended UNICEF and its partners for their generous support, noting that the upgrade would significantly enhance the availability of essential medicines in the state, considering the warehouse’s capacity to store substantial quantities of various medicines.
Dr. Saulawa also highlighted that the development would revolutionise healthcare warehousing in the state, implementing a robust monitoring and evaluation system for medicines stored in the warehouse.
“The pharma-grade warehouse is fully computerised and digitised, enabling easy identification of available medicines, quantities, expiry dates, and inventory at the press of a button,” the Health Commissioner explained.
Ms. Lourdes Valencia, the Project Construction Manager, expressed her optimism about the project’s timeline and eagerly anticipates the warehouse’s inauguration in January 2024.
Valencia also noted that the medical warehouse upgrade initiative is not limited to Katsina alone, as similar upgrades are currently underway in 21 additional states across Nigeria.
