By KHADIJAH ALIYU
The Kano State Refuse Management and Sanitation Board (REMASAB) and the Private Health Institutions Management Agency (PHIMA) have strengthened their strategic partnership to improve environmental sanitation and healthcare waste management in private health facilities across Kano State.
The partnership was discussed during a working visit by a REMASAB delegation to PHIMA, aimed at identifying areas of collaboration to improve sanitation standards, promote responsible healthcare waste disposal and ensure compliance with environmental health regulations.
The delegation was led by REMASAB’s Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Malam Aliyu Tukur, who engaged PHIMA officials on strategies to enhance environmental hygiene, improve healthcare waste handling and establish sustainable mechanisms for inter-agency cooperation.
The Acting Director-General of PHIMA, Hajiya Khadija, who also serves as the agency’s Director of Administration and General Services, commended REMASAB for its sanitation interventions and efforts to improve environmental cleanliness across the State.
She expressed the agency’s readiness to collaborate with REMASAB in strengthening sanitation compliance among private healthcare providers and promoting appropriate waste management practices to ensure cleaner and safer healthcare environments.
Khadija emphasised the importance of coordinated action among government institutions in ensuring that private healthcare facilities maintain appropriate environmental sanitation standards to protect patients, healthcare workers and the general public.
Speaking on the importance of the partnership, REMASAB Managing Director, Dr. Muhammad S. Khalil, said effective inter-agency collaboration was essential to achieving sustainable environmental sanitation and advancing public health objectives in Kano State.
Dr. Khalil noted that maintaining hygiene in healthcare facilities required a shared commitment among government agencies, healthcare providers and other relevant stakeholders.
He urged private hospital operators and members of the public to support government sanitation initiatives and comply with established environmental health regulations.
The REMASAB managing director further stressed that proper healthcare waste management was a critical public health responsibility requiring sustained attention, institutional accountability and collective action.
According to him, the partnership with PHIMA would provide a platform for promoting responsible sanitation practices, improving waste management systems and encouraging greater compliance with environmental health standards among private healthcare institutions.
The engagement highlights the commitment of both agencies to strengthening institutional cooperation in promoting cleaner healthcare facilities, improving healthcare delivery and protecting public health across Kano State.
Editing by BASIRAT MEMUDU