Ganduje Spends N1bn on Primary Healthcare Delivery

Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano

Kano state Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje said his administration has expended over N1 billion for the procurement and distribution of drugs, medical equipment to secondary and primary health care facilities to improve their diagnostic and management capacity.

Speaking recently during the convention of over 3,880 Kano state Volunteer Community Mobilizers (VCMS) and distribution /launching of Anti malarial Commodities and other Health Intervention held in Government House, Ganduje said his administration has keyed into the Federal Government agenda of revitalizing the primary health care in Nigeria.

According to him, “Kano state government with the support of our partners has upgraded, renovated and equipped more than 120 primary health facilities across the 44 Local Government Areas of Kano state to make basic health care available to our people.

“In our determination to further deliver on our campaign promises and to ensure that Kano people benefit maximally from the health care service delivery, the present administration has embarked on many beneficial and far-reaching health intervention ranging from infrastructure and equipment upgrade, health care financing to manpower development.”

He mentioned some of the interventions to include, “upgrade and renovation of Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital in collaboration with Dangote Foundation–the work is estimated to cost billions of Naira and when completed, the hospital will be of international standard.

“Procurement and distribution of drugs, medical equipments worth over N1 billion, secondary and primary health care facilities to improve the diagnostic and management capacity; establishment of state Contributory Health care Management Agency; and signing into law of the Health Trust Fund and also signing into law the Private Health Institution Management Law which will govern private hospitals.”

Ganduje recalled before his administration, the state government was faced with a number of challenges in the health sector, such as high incidence of Malaria and other communicable diseases; high prevalence of malnutrition among children under five years.

He further mentioned other challenges to include dilapidated health infrastructure, especially, at the primary health care level; inadequate qualitative specialized health care; human resource gaps at secondary and primary health care levels and lack of sustainability in health care financing.

He added that, “to tackle this and many more of health system challenges, the state government has been expending colossal resources both human and material to revamp the health system.

“It is on record that between January to August, 2017 alone, Kano state government and its partners has spent over N700 million on the procurement and distribution of drugs, insecticides, treated bed nets, Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) for malaria, among other things for the prevention and control of malaria in Kano state.