Emir Sanusi Advocates Adoption Of Abuja Declaration On Health Sector

Emir of Kano Muhammad Sanusi II on Thursday advocated adoption and implementation of 15% budget allocation to health sector in line with  the Abuja declaration by  government at all level.

The Abuja Declaration was the resolution of April 2001 meeting of the African Union countries and their pledge to set a target of allocating at least 15% of their annual budget to improve the health sector and urged donor countries to scale up support. However years later, only one African country reached this target. Twenty-six countries had increased the proportion of government expenditures allocated to health and 11 had reduced it. In the remaining nine countries there was no obvious trend up or down.

Muhammad Sanusi II said considering the high level of poverty in Nigeria and the difficulties in accessing healthcare facilitities by the masses, improved health sector budgeting would assist the vulnerables in the society and support attainment of sustainable development goals (SDG).

The emir represented by District Head of Tudun wada , Dankade Kano Alhaji Bashir Muhammad stated this on Thursday at the opening of a 3 day workshop  for the development of Kano State Health Sector Annual Operational Plan holding in Kaduna.

“There is high need for traditional leaders to also collaborate with government at all levels so as to ensure that accessibility to healthcare services is enhanced”.

“When the Kano emirate committee on health and human development was established in 2014 it discovered that the health  indices for coverage of  polio was low at 4% and with the collaboration of the Emirate council in 2016 , it rose to 16% while in 2018 it stood at 79%, said Muhammad Sanusi.”

Noting that Kano emirate committee on health and human development is mandated to cooperate and compliment efforts of the state government with its agencies on health and social development issues.

On his part, Kano state Commissioner for Health Dr. Kabiru Ibrahim Getso said the objective of the workshop is to review 2018 Annual Operational Health Sector Plan and develop the 2019 health sector Annual Operational Plan using participatory approach of MDAs,  CSOs, & Partners among others.

“The tremendous efforts and commitment of the state government to the health sector has seen to the full accreditation of courses in all the five schools of Nursing and midwifery and similarly increase the quotas of students intake , “Getso said.

“The governor recently approved over N200m for purchase of instructional materials and the completion of a 500 seater auditorium constructed at the Kano School of Nursing, while  student hostel has just been constructed at School of Nursing in madobi .

In a remark, Chairman House Committee on Health, Alhaji Rabiu Saleh Gwarzo expressed support of the house to collaborate with the executive with legislative instrument to improve the health sector.

In a goodwill message a representative of the Maternal , Newborn and Child Health Programme (MNCH2) said though the MNCH2 initiative is rounding up next year, the DFID is starting another support program that Kano will be a beneficiary due to the commitment of the state government as  many other states have been dropped .

The meeting is being attended by staff of MDAs, CSOs, Development partners and the Media.