The Kano State Government has emerged the overall winner of the 2018 North-West Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week programme.
This enabled the state to earn a total sum of $8.1 million.
This followed commitment of the present administration and the support of Kano State Saving one million lives programme in offering low cost intervention to pregnant women and children under the age of five.
This is contained in a statement signed and issued to newsmen by the Public Relations Officer in the Deputy Governor’s office, Alhaji Balarabe Abdullahi in Kano on Thursday.
The Kano State Gov., Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, disclosed this during the Flag-off of the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week on Feb. 28, held at Getso in Gwarzo Local Government Area.
Represented by his Deputy Dr Nasiru Gawuna, said that the last round of the exercise, over 2 million children were supplemented with Vitamin A, while 1,180,760 children were de-wormed and thousands of women were given iron-foliate supplements and malaria prevention drugs respectively.
“Kano State Government which has been consistent in the implementation of all health programmes aimed at improving the lives of our people and has provided all necessary support to ensure this campaign is a success.
“This administration has placed the highest priority on saving lives, especially women and children through the provision of essential health services both at primary and secondary care levels,’’ he said.
Ganduje also said that the state government would strive and work harder in delivering more democratic dividend in housing, transportation including fly-over bridges, improve road network, agriculture, commerce and any intervention that would bring human development to the people in the state.
He emphasised on the importance of the Matenal, Newborn and Child Health Week to the lives of women and children.
Earlier, the Emir of Kano, Malam Muhammadu Sanusi II, represented by the District head of Tudun Wada, Dr Bashir Ibrahim, expressed satisfaction on the effort made by the State Government and other development partners in promoting the lives of Women and Children in the state despite the challenges being faced.
On his part, the State Commissioner of Health, Dr Kabiru Getso, said the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week is a week-long event during which low cost interventions are offered to prevent women and children under age of five.
He said the aim was to increase coverage levels of some important preventive and curative health indicators that allow them to thrive and develop.
According to him, Kano State Government in collaboration with other development partners had spent over N1 million in procuring the needed supplements to ensure the successful conduct of the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week (MNCHW) Programme across the 44 local government areas in the State.
Among the development partners who contributed to the success of the programme are the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organisation.
