Kaduna budgets N10bn for health services in 2014

By The Citizen

The Kaduna State Government on Wednesday said it would spend N10 billion to provide health care services in 2014.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Paul Dogo, made this known to newsmen after defending the ministry's budget before the House of Assembly in Kaduna.

Dogo said the state government was committed to responding to HIV and AIDS and other services.

“We have a total package of N2.6 billion for the fight of HIV and AIDS; we must sustain and succeed in this fight.

“So, this is what I feel this budget is going to do; healthcare is going to do and also to enhance availability of commodities at affordable prices,'' he said.

He said the state had also recorded tremendous achievement on the routine immunisation programmes over the years.

“We are getting it right and the number of unimmunised children has been reduced to 77 per cent.''

According to him, the budget will strengthen the activities of the primary health care in the state by assisting people at the grassroots.

He added that the drugs management agency would also streamline its activities on the procurement and distribution processes of all the medical consumables.

“Utility vehicles for distribution of drugs that will be procured so as to enhance the availability of qualitative and affordable drugs in all our health facility across the state will be provided,'' he said.

He said the free maternal health programme would be further strengthened to provide care to pregnant women and children below the age of five years to reduce maternal mortality.

Dogo said the ministry would ensure that the state succeeded in all the needed issues raised regarding the accreditation of School of Midwifery, Tudun Wada; School of Nursing, Kafanchan, and certain programmes at the School of Health Technology, Makarfi.