NaijaAgroNet
The Kano State government, under Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, in the healthcare delivery services, under Save One Million Lives Programme, the federal government has attracted about Three Billion Naira (N3B) funding for more service delivery in the health sector, reports
NaijaAgroNet.
Confirming this, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Kano State, Abba Anwar, told NaijaAgroNet that the cheque was given by President Muhammadu Buhari, represented by the Minister of Budget and Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, among other remaining 12 states that also excelled in the area.
"But Kano being the best in all the North West states, Ganduje received standing ovation when the state was called. Impression of satisfaction was clearly on guests' faces. He collected the cheque on behalf of his state," he said.
This, he also said, was as a result of the state unassuming performance in all the areas under the programme, last year, 2018. The sum of $1m was given to each of the 36 states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, as intervention in some selected areas of the health sector.
The areas were Immunization Coverage, Bed Net use by children under Five, Vitamin A Supplementation, Child Birth Spacing, HIV Testing during pregnancy and Skilled Birth Attendants for quantity and quality care.
"After the implementation of the programme by all the states last year, a survey was conducted and all the states were ranked by performance. Kano became one of the 13 states that performed wonderfully well in the programme. The programme was an initiation of the federal government and the World Bank."
Appreciating the gesture Commissioner of Health Dr Kabiru Ibrahim Getso expressed satisfaction over the landmark achievements by Ganduje administration, adding that, "Kano is fast moving forward in the health sector. Just like all other sectors."
"The money given is to compliment state efforts in this area. In all the six identified areas of the programme, Kano excels beyond any comments. We are doing our possible best to see that all identified areas are given the much needed attention," Getso states.
Kano, according to the Commissioner excels in improving the infrastructural development for the sector. So also in the area of effective and efficient drug distribution in the state health facilities.
"Equipments are readily available in our facilities. This administration is not relenting in its effort in making sure that all sub-sectors under health are handled with utmost care. Because of the importance attached to it by our able governor. He attends all other sectors with similar care," he encouraged.
Getso, by way of justifying how Kano excels in the health sector, to the point that the state was given the above mentioned sum from the federal government, the health commissioner emphasises that, "For the first time in the history of the state, we have budgeted more than 15 percent in our budget, for the health sector. This is a great achievement by all standard."
He also refers to the recently awarded contract for the establishment of Cancer Centre by the Kano state government, saying that, "This will be the first Cancer Centre established by the state government in Nigeria. All Cancer Centres we have in the country are established by the federal government."
The Save One Million Lives Programme aims at changing focus from "input based" to "result based" financing of health care "...intended to save the lives of mothers and children by increasing access to, and utilisation of evidence based, cost effective and high impact maternal, child and nutrition interventions in Nigeria and change the federal-state relationship to a Result-Based partnership."
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