Dangote Foundation offers free medical services in Katsina

In continuation of its efforts aimed at creating wider access to health

care for less privileged Nigerians, Dangote Foundation at the weekend took

free health care services to the door steps of the vulnerable and poor

ones in Katsina state.
Thousands of ailing people, including sickly elderly and malnourished

children alike trooped out to the General Hospital in Kankia Local

Government area of the state, venue of the exercise and were treated free.

The free medical outreach in Katsina State include: Free consultations,

medicines and minor operations; advocacy on health and nutrition to women;

as well as training of interns and medical personnel who in turn would

offer medical advises to the people.
The programme which was spearheaded by Dangote Foundation was in

collaboration with the Katsina State Government; Give-Back Nigeria, a UK

based Charity Organization and Gachi Development Foundation.

The state governor, Aminu Bello Masari, who flagged off the three-day

medical services expressed appreciation to the Dangote Foundation and its

collaborators for the gesture and described it as a service to humanity

for which God would surely reward.
He explained the programmes being mapped out by his admninitsratiuon to

tackle health care challenges among his people and said the Dangote

Foundation has in no small measure assisted in quickening the health

programme.
The governor urged other spirited organization to look in the direction of

joining hands with government to ensure the poor also have access to

quality health care services.
In her remark, the Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation, Mrs. Zouera

Youssouffou said the Foundation decided to sponsor the free medical

outreach because the health sector is a critical part of the Foundation's

focus in contributing to the upliftment of the society and her people.

She stated that issues bordering on the health of Nigerians have always

been of concern to Dangote Foundation and that was the reason it has been

involved in all efforts at ensuring poor Nigerians also benefit from sound

health care services.
“We were very active in the fight against the dreaded Ebola and jointly we

defeated it. So also we mounted a lot of campaigns to see that polio was

eradicated. We are happy that today, one year down the line no single case

of polio has been recorded.
“This goes to show that collectively we can eradicate most of the disease

ravaging our people if we deploy the will. We in Dangote Foundation

believe that health is wealth, and economic activity can succeed when the

people are sick”, Youssouffou noted while adding that the Foundation would

continue to support Nigerian government and the new Katsina state

administration.
Dr Shamsudeen Yahyah, a Director in the Ministry of Health of Katsina

State, urged all the contributing agencies to try and sustain such

gesture, adding that their support will go a long way in assisting the

government in achieving its goals. He identified poverty, ignorant as the

major causes of diseases in the Northern part of the country.

Speaking also Dr. Tasiu Suleiman Gachi, the Project Leader said he was

impressed by the Dangote Group and other organizations.

It would be recalled that the new initiative was coming after the Dangote

Foundation in association with Bill and Melinda Bates Foundation

intervened in the fight against polio thus leading to the eradication of

the disease with news that no case has been recorded in Nigeria in the

last one year.
Over the years the Dangote Foundation has injected huge amount of money to

the development of the health sector in the country. It is currently

constructing N440million State-of-the-Art Theatre and Diagnostic Centre at

the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital in Kano.
The Foundation has also disbursed about 600million in the last three years

on Routine Immunization and Primary Healthcare in Kano State alone, as

well as the construction of 11 units of primary health care centres across

11 Local Governments.
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