Kano State is set to enjoy a $50 million investment in the healthcare system.
The intervention is jointly supported by US AIDs, The Global Fund, WHO, and the US President Malaria Initiative.
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf disclosed this shortly after Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate led a delegation of the donors to visit him in Kano.
According to the Minister, Kano with its vast population is one of the leading states with malaria burden as Nigeria records almost 30 percent of the entire global malarial problem.
Pate disclosed that the Federal Government in collaboration with the partners has vowed to intensify efforts in improving healthcare service delivery in the country.
The minister added that Kano state was chosen to be the first state to be visited due to its large population and the need to deploy measures to address numerous health challenges in the state.
” Health is at the center of any serious country’s development agenda, and our president took a bold step and In expectation with partnership like yourself your excellency that we work towards improving health of our population so that we can unleash its potential.
“We have almost 30% of world burden of Malaria, and Kano is one the most burden states in the country, So its so important that the good works that have been done already are sustained, like the one we saw at Murtala Mohammad specialist Hospital, “ Pate said.
The minister maintained that the development partners were coming to Nigeria as a group because they want to support Nigeria to improve the health of its population.
Governor Yusuf appreciated their concern especially the selection of Kano State to be pioneer beneficiary of the intervention.
“Your intervention at this material time is very timely. I commend the efforts of developing partners, especially in the fight a giant HIV, Tuberculosis, Malaria and other diseases.
“I was also elated to learn that an investment of 50 million dollars into our state’s healthcare system is coming out from the visit.
“I commend the Honourable Minister and the representatives of US AIDs, The Global Fund, WHO, and the Global Malaria Coordinator for the US President Malaria Initiative, Dr. David Walton for the incredible gesture. And I assure them of our highest commitment to the fulfilment of our common goal for universal healthcare coverage,” he said.
He, however, solicited more support from the development partners geared towards uplifting the health status of the general population.
Malaria is the biggest health challenge in Nigeria, which takes between 300,000-500,000 lives a year. Whereas, the solution to the malaria scourge is within reach, which is to eliminate mosquitoes, carrier of the malaria parasites , through fumigation or the use of larvicides. The latter, larvicide is the most effective method, which is by introducing cultured bacteria into mosquito breeding colonies. The most commonly used is the BTS bacillus thuregensis spaericus, and it is not toxic. This can be cultured in Nigeria at VOM Jos or Nigeria Institute of Trypanosomiasis in Kaduna in Nigeria, any of the department of biological sciences in Nigeria or from from Cuba, China and Vietnam. The BTS consumes the mosquitoes larvae in their habitats before they turned to flying mosquitoes and become very deadly.
If Dr Pate wants to really help and make a name for himself, he should adopt this method and it will not cost a lot of money. The 50 million USD grant will go a long way in solving this problem by almost 70%, if the BTS is obtained locally or used to build laboratories to culture the bacteria