Kaduna Deputy Speaker Promises Adequate Budget For Health

The Deputy Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Hon. Magaji Danjuma, yesterday said  the state legislature will ensure adequate  budgetary allocation towards achieving health-focused policies.

He added that the legislature would work with healthcare agencies like the Kaduna Contributory Health Management Agency to ensure the implementation of health-related policies in the state.

He stated this in Abuja at a two-day engagement meeting with Kaduna State House of Assembly members on “Health Financing and Leadership.”

He said, “We will provide the enabling environment to also ensure that after allocating whatever funds are required, we also supervise and ensure that the needful is done, as well as ensure that there is the required staff and personnel that should be on the ground to be able to execute the required policies.”

Danjuma emphasised that the state governance had health as one of its top concerns, but he also contended that poverty in Nigeria is a network of other problems, including access to health care, insecurity, a lack of food security, and inadequate protection of lives and property.

“One of the objectives of the Kaduna State Government is health, and because poverty in Nigeria is a network of other concerns, we must make sure that we address all the necessary areas, or else people would be struggling with poverty,” the Deputy Speaker said.

This comes as the state government announced the establishment of 72 free medical services for children under the age of five and expectant mothers.

The state commissioner for health, Hajiya Umma Ahmed, said the administration is making sure that primary healthcare facilities have qualified staff, enough medication, and equipment.

According to her, the state governor, Uba Sani, recently provided 290 primary healthcare facilities with cutting-edge technology in a bid to alleviate maternal and infant mortality problems, particularly in rural regions.

She said, “We have started setting up under-5 clinics that provide free medical services to pregnant women and children under 5, we established around 72 but we are attempting to make them more functional.

“We make sure the primary healthcare facilities have the necessary staff, medications, and supplies. To address these challenges, the Governor recently dispersed 290 primary healthcare facilities outfitted with cutting-edge technology,” she said.