The Bayelsa State Ministry of Health has vowed to stamp out any form of fraudulent acts in the State’s health subsector to ensure a safe healthcare delivery.
The commissioner for health, Seiyefa Brisibe made the promise during the establishment of the State Health Supply/Aid Diversion Committee in collaboration with development partners, to safeguard significant quantities of publicly funded nutrition commodities and related health supplies.
The Commissioner for Health, Seiyefa Brisibe, noted that the coordinated, multi-sectoral oversight structure is designed to strengthen governance, transparency, and accountability across the state’s healthcare supply chain.
Brisibe, who doubles as alternative chairperson of the committee, said it has the primary purpose of preventing, detecting, investigating, and aggressively responding to any form of misuse, theft, or mismanagement of life-saving nutrition resources while operating with a strict zero-tolerance policy for fraud.
The commissioner for health also tasked the committee with providing strategic oversight at both the state and local government levels, as it would closely monitor adherence to approved standard operating procedures for warehousing, inventory management, and distribution.
Brisibe said the committee would take on a wide scope of work, including the regular review of periodic stock reports and inventory reconciliations for critical supplies.
He said the would include vital commodities such as Vitamin A, Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS), and Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF).
The commissioner added that members would oversee physical verification exercises, execute unannounced spot checks, and implement real-time logistics tracking systems to prevent leakages.
A Member, Gbanaibolou Orukari-Oweifa, who represented the Alternate Chairperson of the Committee and Executive Secretary, Bayelsa State Health Care Development Agency (SPHCDA), Williams Appah, appreciated the commissioner for giving them the opportunity to serve and promised to give their best.
A representative of the United Nations Children’s Funds (UNICEF) and nutrition specialist, Oluniyi Oyedokun, emphasized that the committee would maintain a strict zero-tolerance policy against diversion or misuse of the essential aid supplies.
He said the committee would directly reach targeted vulnerable beneficiaries while stating that additional nutrition commodities will be procured by the state government and matched through collaborative funding from them.
