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Gombe governor, others take second COVID-19 jab

By Mansur Aramide, Gombe
02 June 2021   |   4:10 am
Gombe State Governor, Mohammed Yahaya, and his deputy, Dr. Manassah Jattau, have taken the second dose of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) vaccine.

Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya

Govt releases N100 million for healthcare

Gombe State Governor, Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya, and his deputy, Dr. Manassah Jattau, have taken the second dose of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) vaccine.

Also vaccinated yesterday were the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Abubakar Jodi, and other cabinet members. Yahaya urged the citizenry to follow suit and adhere to the COVID-19 safety protocols.

The Commissioner for Health, Habu Dahiru, disclosed that the governor’s shot signalled the beginning of the administration of the vaccine on the citizenry, adding that the government had opened centres across the state for easier access.

Dahiru, however, encouraged the citizenry to troop out for the exercise, adding: “Let them come with their card for documentation.”

MEANWHILE, the state government has released its N100 million counterpart fund for basic healthcare.The scheme took off in the state on Monday with GOHealth, Gombe State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (GSPHCDA) and Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) signing the service level agreement.

The Executive Secretary of GOHealth, Abubakar Musa, said that Monday was the official commencement of the implementation of BHCPF in the state.

He recalled that the governor, before resuming office, engaged development partners, including the World Bank, on how best to get the state into BHCPF.

He said: “Today, it is a reality. Yesterday’s signing of the service level agreement with primary healthcare facilities was to provide free healthcare services to the over 25,000 poor and vulnerable that GOHealth had enrolled across the state.” He pointed out that the number was small compared to the population and staff strength of government and private sector.

“At the next phase of enrolment, we shall include more people. By next year or the next six months, we hope to capture about 10 per cent of the entire population,” he said.

In the same vein, Gombe and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) agreed on the Contributory Health Scheme tagged GOHealth Programme, which pilot scheme is expected to involve civil servants, while local council staff will follow.

Dahiru explained that employees and their employers would contribute 3.5 per cent each to make seven per cent as GOHealth contribution.

He added that the employees would start reaping the benefits from September 2021. Representative of the NLC, Shuaibu Chiroma, however, told newsmen that keying into the programme “is the best for the workers.”

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