Borno state Governor, Babagana Zulum has reiterated his administration’s commitment to providing robust, affordable and accessible healthcare delivery to millions of vulnerable and displaced persons in the state.
The Governor made the commitment at the sixth Borno state Council on Health meeting in Maiduguri.
The Council held its last meeting in 2005, seventeen years ago.
The thirteen-year Boko Haram insurgency in Borno state have devastated many critical areas including the health sector , resulting in high burden of diseases and mortalities.
The insurgents have also destroyed health infrastructure as out the 743 health facilities, more than 250 were completely destroyed and another 200 partially damaged.
This is in addition to inadequate human resource and healthcare workers.
However, in an effort to tackle the situation head on, officials of the state ministry of health and other stakeholders converged on Maiduguri to deliberate on ways to strengthen the health system, now that peace is gradually returning.
Borno state Governor Babagana Zulum represented by his Deputy Alhaji Umar Kadafur said deliberate measures have been taken to revamp the sector which include construction of over sixty primary healthcare centres across all the local government areas and recruited health professionals to bridge the deficit in human capital.
“We have sponsored post graduate training for doctors and other health workers, upgraded the two health tertiary institutions and established the Borno state University Teaching Hospital which is at completing stage. We have provided state-of-the-art equipment to the hospital and incentives to doctors and health workers ” Zulum remarked.
The Governor urged the Council to come up with pragmatic and realistic health policies that will build back the health system better.
Commissioner for Health Professor Mohammed Arab remarked that the Council is the highest decision making body of health and will help to guide government’s planning and policy formulation.
“It is visible that this administration has stepped up efforts for effective and efficient service delivery including provision of free maternal drugs and revival of the moribund Drug revolving fund scheme, introduction of welfare packages for health workers including construction of staff quarters, payment of rural allowances and upward review of renumeration and retirement age” Professor Arab said.
In a presentation, the guest lecturer Dr. Shehu Sule who commended measures taken by the state to reinvigorate the sector, however called for effective health financing mechanism and developing capacity of professionals.
The meeting has as its theme “strengthening health system in a post conflict and fragile setting”.
Dauda Iliya