From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
The Kebbi State government has reiterated its commitment to ensure the training and retraining of the health workers for better healthcare delivery and outcome.
The State Deputy Governor, Senator Umar Abubakar gave the assurance when he received the Executive Director National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaibu, World Health Organisation (WHO) Country Representative, Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo and UNICEF team on an advocacy visit in Birnin Kebbi.
Umar stressed the importance of healthy society for development of the state and nation, assuring the sustained efforts of the state government to improve the health sector.
According to him, “Health is wealth and without good health our children cannot go to schools, farmers cannot go farms, no businesses will strive, in fact health is the key to every aspects of human development”,he added.
In his remarks, Executive Director of the NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaibu said they were in Kebbi State to collaborate and share information on upcoming vaccination against cervical cancer stressed that, Nigeria is the highest country with cervical cancer globally.
Faisal commended the giant strides of the present administration under the leadership of Dr. Nasir Idris, especially on the health and infrastructures.
He solicited more support and cooperation from the state government in the fight against preventable diseases in the state.
Earlier in his address, WHO’s Country Representative, Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo praised Kebbi government for its effort on security which as a result about 190,000 children in security challenged settlements in the state were reached in the recently concluded outbreak response.
Walter said “the presence of Deputy Governor to personally chaired the last polio task force meeting is highly commendable and it gave a renewed hope for a greater political commitment in combating the menace of the variant polio viruses and other preventable diseases in Kebbi State”.
“UN agencies including WHO UNICEF and UNDSS have been providing very robust technical, material, financial support to the state as well as promoting universal access to comprehensive quality healthcare service. Dr. Kazadi added.
Mulombo, appealed to the state government to provide adequate commodities, equipment, human resources among others to health facilities in order to meet universal health coverage.