Drug Supply: Kano DMCSA Moves Toward Sustainable Health Development

By Farouk Isa Musa 

In a bid to maintain the steady supply of qualitative and affordable drugs and other medical supplies as a part of a coordinated efforts to generally enhance healthcare service delivery at all medical facilities throughout the state, the Kano State Drugs and Medical Consumables Supply Agency (DMCSA) has organized a comprehensive 6-day tender evaluation workshop.

The meeting, which is currently taking place in Kaduna, aims to review the bid proposals concerning the procument of medical supplies for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. This evaluation process involves a panel of experts from various fields, including pharmacy, medical science, public procurement, and accounting and finance.

Dr. Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, the Commissioner State Ministry of Health said during the tender bid opening, which took place on Tuesday in Kano, the DMCSA has received 83 bids from pharmaceutical companies who offered to supply the organization with health commodities for the 2024/2025 fiscal year.

The Commissioner then commended Pharm. Gali, the Director-General DMCSA,for organizing the workshop and the development partners, especially the UK Government's Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Lafiya Project, and Global Affairs Canada Nutrition International Improved Diarreheoa Treatment Outcome Project, for complementing the efforts of the State Government to strengthen the health sector.

In his opening remark, Pharm. Gali Sule spoke at length on the importance of transparency and fairness embedded in the tender evaluation process, pledging that the present administration of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf is fully committed to ensure that Kano state residents get the best and affordable healthcare services.

According to the DG, the tendering process is the best global practice that promotes transparency, stressing that the tender evaluation is a critical process in procurement and it involves the assessment of bids submitted by suppliers, and the DMCSA would ensure it selects the most suitable supplier that meets its needs and specifications.

"Effective tender evaluation is vital for achieving value for money, maintaining quality standards, and minimizing risks associated with procurement. It also fosters trust among the bidders, as we just conducted a transparent bid opening ceremony a few days ago," Pharm Gali Sule observed.

"This is the 10th tender in the history of the DMCSA and it is a process the agency adopted that would help it to achieve the set goals and objectives, particularly the provision of affordable and qualitative drugs to the teeming populace of the state.

"All stakeholders in the healthcare sector were invited to come to participate in the evaluation of the tender bid documents so that we would have a transparent process at the end of the exercise," he concluded.

Delivering the welcome address, Pharm.kamilu Mudi Salisu, the Director Pharmaceutical Services at State Ministry of Health, who is also the Chairman State Sustainable Health Commodity Supply Systems (SSHCSS) Committee, has called on the participants of the workshop to be dedicated in order to achieve the desired goals of the conference.

On his submission, Pharm. Abdul'aziz Hamisu, the consultant for the project, said the panel would utilize a scoring system that would assess proposals based on criteria such as cost-effectiveness, quality, compliance, and delivery schedule, among others.

The participants, he further noted, would systematically analyze and thoroughly assess each bid for compliance with submission requirements. After a thorough examination, however, the panel will disqualify any bids that fail to meet the mandatory criteria. Based on the scores, the committee will recommend the successful bidders and provide feedback to unsuccessful ones, as well.

Kano Govt's 4-Day Workshop on Health Procurement

By Farouk I. Musa 

To promote transparency and efficiency in service delivery especially in the health sector, Kano State Government had organized a 4-day workshop on the procument of health commodities for staff selected from the Ministry of Health, the Drugs and Medical Consumables Supply Agency (DMCSA) and other relevant ministries and agencies.

Speaking during the commencement of the program, the Chairman of the meeting and Director General of DMCSA, Pharm.Gali Sule said the workshop was organized by the state government in collaboration with Chartered Institute of Procument and Supply (CIPS) and it seeks to specifically support the Procument Unit of DMCSA with an Agency-specific operational document to carry out its mandate in line with the organization's overall business objectives.

"I'm indeed delighted to be part of this activity, which, partly,  is a continuation of a meeting that took place some months back, where CIPS showcased a diagonastic analysis of our procument at the Agency.

"This workshop, however, will look at the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) of procuments, especially the tendering process and emergency procuments," he explained, adding that "According to operation guidelines of DMCSA, the tendering process is supposed to cater for 80 percent of all the procuments, while the other 20 percent will cover for the emergency procuments." 

The DG further highlighted that the tendering process is the standard global practice of procuments, and his agency has wholeheartedly embraced the practice due to the fact that it's the most transparent method of procuments.

"Through that method, the Agency will be able to achieve its mandates of sourcing, storing, and supplying healthcare facilities across the state with quality, affordable, accessible and available drugs and other medical consumables," he stressed.

On his part, Mr. Chukwudi Uche, the CIPS' Team Lead, said the broad objective of the workshop is to review and build consensus on the draft Procument Policy, Strategy, and Standard Operating Procedures.

The Team Lead and other resource persons from CIPS, namely Pharm. Julius Oni and Pharm. Pamela Muonemeh made presentations on the procument policy and strategy; organizational and supply market planning; tendering and contracting; and contract management.

Delivering closing remarks, Pharm. Kamilu Mudi Salisu, Director Pharmaceutical Services, state Ministry of Health, who represented the Chairman of the workshop, commended the resource persons for resilience, perseverance, and for what he termed as "world-class presentations".

He also thanked all the participants for cooperation and their individual contributions, which, according to him, made all the sessions very interactive and the program a success.

In addition to the Ministry of Health and the DMCSA, other participants were drawn from the Ministry for Public Procurement, Projects Monitoring and Evaluation, Hospital Management Board (HMB), State Primary Health Care Management Board (SPHCMB), Private Health Institutions Management Agency (PHIMA), among others.

The workshop was held at Tahir Guest Palace in Kano, from Tuesday, 20th to Friday, 23rd August 2024

DG DMCSA Pharm Sule Urges Youths to Shun Drug Abuse

By Farouk I. Musa

The Director-General Kano State Drugs and Medical Consumable Supply Agency (DMCSA) Pharm. Gali Sule has called on the youths to join hands together to create awareness against drug abuse, especially among the students of tertiary institutions, with view to curb the menace.

The Director-General was speaking when he received the executive members of Pharmaceutical Association of Nigerian Students (PANS), Bayero University, Kano Chapter who paid him a courtesy visit today (Thursday) in his office, stressing that youths must be engaged to nip the drug abuse in the bud, which he described as a social menace.

 

Speaking further, Pharm. Sule commended members for their good iniatives including providing medical outreach to the community, which he described as one of the major support and contributions from the students that immensly benefit the general society.

A press statement signed by Farouk I. Musa, the Public Relations Officer of the agency quoted the DG expressing his satisfaction with the efforts made by the excos to be sel-reliant, noting that skills acquisation is the panacea for the acute and dire unemployment bedevilling the nation.

Speaking eaelier, the Chaiman of the association, Comrade Abubakar Haruna Gama said they were at the DG's office to introduce themselves,, intimate him about the activities of the organization, and seek his advice and guidance on how to move the association forward.

Comrade Gama spoke extensively on activities carried out by the PANS and other plans to be executed, explaining that the leadership of the organization has conducted student orientation, offered career guidance, and has embarked on sensitazation campaign against taking of illicit drugs among the students at Bayero University.

According to him, the student body is also planning to provide medical outreach, and establish a business enterprise that will serve as a source of income to the union for sustainable self-reliance.

In his contribution, Comrade Salisu Musa, the Secretary General of PANS thanked Pharm. Gali Sule for hosting them despite his tight sechedule, and for useful advice and mentorship.