Governor of Bauchi State Bala Mohammed has requested the Federal Ministry of Health to assist in the establishment of a functional Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Centre in Bauchi to improve the state’s capacity in the management of infectious diseases.
The governor who made the request at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Ministerial retreat of the Federal Ministry of Health in Bauchi, noted that, despite having qualified staff and molecular laboratories, Bauchi is currently taking samples to Gombe State, resulting in delays and increased costs.
The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Auwal Jatau, also appealed to the Federal Ministry of Education to facilitate the inclusion of health training institutions in the TETFund’s intervention to enhance healthcare training in the state.
He said his administration has understood the importance of collaboration among stakeholders to build a healthy and prosperous nation, hence remaining open for partnerships with the federal government, international organizations, NGOs, and the private sector to save lives and enhance the well-being of the citizens.
To him, since the inception of his administration in 2019, it has declared a state of emergency in the health sector which paved the way to prioritize healthcare in the state’s budgets with the allocation of over 15% of the total budget.
Governor Mohammed, who noted that the administration’s focus has also been on health infrastructure, with major renovations in hospitals and health centres, said it had renovated 27 General Hospitals across the state, and it is working on upgrading over 1,200 Primary Healthcare Centers, ensuring that they are equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment.
“Our administration has made significant strides in providing physical infrastructure across sectors, recognising that the real asset of a prosperous state lies in human capital.
“This is why our focus has now shifted to building human capacity, particularly within the social sector. Unfortunately. our healthcare system still struggles with a shortage of qualified personnel. To address this, we have lifted the long-standing embargo on the recruitment of healthcare workers, and over 3,000 new staff have been employed,” he said.
On his part, the coordinating minister of health and social welfare, Professor Ali Pate, explained that the retreat is important to enable the Federal Ministry of Health to ensure effective implementation of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the health sector.
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