By Haruna Gimba
Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto state, said his administration will establish an infectious diseases hospital, state-of-the-art renal and cardiac centre and a new medical school in the state.
Speaking at the opening of the 58th meeting of National Council on Health in Sokoto, governor Tambuwal said the new health centres will provide training and research and complement existing health facilities across the state.
He said his administration has introduced other policies that have impacted positively in the health sector of the state.
According to him, one of them is the introduction of the community midwifery scheme to train more midwifes and traditional birth attendants who will serve at community levels in all parts of the state.
“The programme will in due course be expanded to essentially achieve sustainable reduction in maternal, infant and child morbidity and mortality in the state,” he said.
Tambuwal said the state government has intensified health surveillance and other prevention mechanisms which have resulted in Sokoto being certified as polio, Ebola and Lassa fever free.
He added that the state government has also entered into partnership agreement with the Usmanu Danfodio University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH) for specialised trainings for improved quality of care and universal healthcare.
“The areas include manpower training, health services delivery, rural outreach programme, road traffic accident and emergency response care and primary healthcare coverage,” Tambuwal explained.
In his remarks, the state Commissioner of Health, Dr. Balarabe Shehu Kakale, said due to the commitment of the present administration and its partners, the number of children immunized against polio and other childhood killer diseases has increased significantly.
