Kano gov vows to eliminate polio disease, reduce mortality rate in four months

The Governor of Kano, Abba Yusuf, has expressed the government’s determination to eliminate the scourge of polio in the next four months in Kano State while stating that his administration would also ensure that the high rate of maternal mortality is reduced within the same period.

The governor spoke while declaring open an orientation training programme organised by the Kano State Ministry of Health for its staff, 44 Local Government Area (LGA) chairmen, and members of the Kano Emirate in Kaduna at the weekend.

Yusuf, who was represented at the occasion by the Deputy Governor, Aminu Gwarzo, said, “The challenge of tackling the two health issues is a task the government of Kano, under my leadership, will pursue to its logical conclusion.”

The governor commended the presence of government officials, members of the State House of Assembly, and the Kano Emirate at the occasion, pointing out that this showed the seriousness they had in eradicating polio and maternal mortality.

While calling on all to be serious about the exercise, he advised that Local Government officials in their domains, together with traditional rulers, should monitor the immunisation exercise closely.

“Any health worker who is not committed will be replaced without delay with a more serious and committed staff. The state government, under the leadership of Abba Yusuf, is determined to make the state free of polio by June 2025, and we will join the campaign in making it free at the end of the year,” he said.

Meanwhile, the representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Kano State, Mr. Rahma Rahood Muhammad, explained that between 2022 and 2025, there was a steady increase in the number of polio cases in the state.

“Children of Kano State are still falling prey to the polio virus, and many are yet to receive any routine vaccine. Vaccines are one of the most effective and cost-saving public interventions in history. Yet nearly 250,000 children in Kano State are zero-dosed (yet to collect a vaccine),” he added.

However, the Executive Secretary of the Kano State Hospitals Management Board, Dr. Mansur Mudi Nagoda, reiterated the government’s effort to curtail the rate of maternal deaths to its minimum in the state.

Giving a brief presentation at the first maiden meeting after inaugurating the Free Maternal Neonatal Child Health Committee, the Executive Secretary stressed “the importance of giving a 100% preference as the Federal Government has also launched the Maternal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII) project to address Nigeria’s troubling maternal and neonatal mortality rate.”

Nagoda said, “The State Government has since launched a free maternity project for all expecting mothers, which includes free caesarian sections, free delivery, and free delivery kits on a monthly basis to state-owned facilities,” adding, “We are going to create more awareness by conducting a campaign that will extend to rural communities to let them know the importance of going to the hospital and also to know that the services are free. We will make sure that items needed for the services are always readily available in our facilities.

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“The committee, which was charged with the responsibility of supervising and tracking commodities supplied to the facilities, will track utilization registers, overlook the supervision reports, and take appropriate actions in areas of weakness, as well as ensure that each package has the complete items needed for delivery. Our revolutionary supervision visits are meant to curtail all interventional delays and ensure patient satisfaction. We will look at our reporting system and implement all initiatives targeting overall reduction.”

Besides, the members of the committee include the Director of Pharmaceutical Services, Primary Health Care Management Board; Director of Nursing Services, HMB; Deputy Director of Accounts, HMB; Head of Department, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital; Consultant Paediatrician, Khalifa Sheik Isyaka Rabiu Paediatrics Hospital; and Logistics Officer, Free Maternal Neonatal Child Health.

Others include Drug Revolving Fund focal persons from the Hospitals Management Board and Primary Health Care Management Board, the Matron in charge of maternity at Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, the Public Relations Officer of the Hospitals Management Board, and the Director of Pharmaceutical Services, who will serve as the secretary of the committee, while the Executive Secretary of the Kano State Hospitals Management Board will serve as the chairman.

Nagoda urged the committee members to carry out their assignments with honesty and diligence.