Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi says the state government is making adequate arrangements to N300 million in counterpart funding to Development Partners to enable the state achieve considerable progress and address lingering challenges affecting the health sector.
The governor who stated this during a virtual meeting with Co-Chair, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Chairman Dangote foundation; Mr. Bill Gates and Aliko Dangote on Thursday said the move was necessary in order to address health challenges in Bauchi State.
“We are told that we are lacking in some few areas especially in the release of the required amount of about N300 million to the basket fund despite the fact they have released their own counterparts funding to the health programme”
“I want to assure you that as a government, we are ready to release all the counterpart fundings despite the paucity of funds”, the Governor Told Mr. Gates and Aliko Dangote during the virtual meeting.
Governor Bala who said the state government would soon conduct its health summit added that, “most of the challenges of health have to do with our inability to provide enough health infrastructure from the grassroot.”
Governor Bala, attributed the delay by the state to release its counterpart funding to COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges of internally generated revenue (IGR).
Addressing reporters shortly after the meeting, Bala said, “They want to see how far we have taken the issue of provision of healthcare in Bauchi to the level that is expected by Development Partners, MoU that we have signed whereby we want to bring the provision of health under one roof”.
“They meant taking it to the secondary level and the state will be able to develop the human capital, the resources and the rest to make it thick so that at the end of the day our people will benefit from its”.
Earlier in their separate remarks Mr Bill Gate and Aliko Dangote urged the state government to intensify efforts in the areas of community engagement strategies, which they argue will make the health care sector more impactful.
They commended the governor for successfully addressing the challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in the State.
