…We need more hands in health sector –Governor Yusuf
By Rabiu Sanusi
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate has said that the nation accounts for 30 per cent of the world’s malaria burden with Kano State being one of the highest.
This came as the Global Fund (GF) said it was committing over $50 million to tackle malaria and other diseases in Kano State.
Prof. Pate, who spoke on Wednesday when he and a delegation of Global Health partners paid a working visit on Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of the state, said the global health partners were in the country to work towards improving the health and well being of Nigerians.
While soliciting for the support of the government at all levels on counterpart funding to compliment each other’s efforts, he said: “We are here in Kano State as the first state we have decided to go to engage with leaders like you in order to improve the health of our population.”
He added: “Improved health is an investment in any society because that is the only investment that can guarantee productive, prosperity and investment.”
The minister also said health is at the centre of any serious country’s development agenda, adding that: “Our President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has taken the bold move and in expectations the Federal Government is ready to partner and work with states towards improving the health population of the country so that we can unleash the population’s potential.”
He said in the case of infectious diseases like malaria: “We have almost 30 per cent of the world’s burden of malaria and Kano is one of the highest burden states. “So, it is so important that some of the good works that are being done by Kano need to be sustained or expanded with the intervention from the Global Health Partners.
“The partners have seen the picture of things and they are ready to support Nigeria, only if the states are committed to work together to achieve the objectives.”
On the $1 billion fund, the Executive Director of GF, Mr. Peter Sands, said it would invest $1 billion in the next three years in the country, saying that out of it, $50 million would be spent in Kano State.
“From Global Fund perspective, Kano is very important. “We will invest about a billion dollars ($1 billion) in Nigeria in the next three years and $50 million of that will be invested in Kano,” he said.
The Triumph reports that the country does have the highest burden of malaria in the world with 200,000 Nigerians (mainly children and pregnant women) dying of malaria. “Malaria is an evitable disease.
Global Funds is fully behind you in your effort to beat these diseases, improve the health and welfare of the people of Kano,” the Executive Director said.
On his part, the state governor, Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf, appreciated the minister and his team for choosing Kano for the starting state over the issues. The governor also appealed to the Federal Government and delegates of United States to come to their aid for more assistance as part of effort in tackling diseases in the state.
Engr. Yusuf added that the state government was always welcoming any investor that would move the state forward towards achieving more goals, especially in healthcare sector, security and more infrastructural development.
