By Dorothy Onoja
Kogi State Commissioner for Health, Dr Zakari Usman says Governor Yahaya Bello stands tall among comity of Governors in projects initiation and execution in the country particularly in the area of health care delivery system.
Dr Usman who made the remark when he received his counterpart from the Ministry of Information and Communication, Hon. Kingsley Fanwo in his office, gave an overview of the achievements of the Governor in the health sector so far.
He noted that the primary, secondary and Tertiary health sectors in the state have received the Midas touch of the Governor, describing it as unprecedented in the annals of the history of the state, adding that the Governor had declared Emergency in the health sector on assumption of office, and said a lot are ongoing in the various sectors of health care delivery in the state.
He said the Ministry is about concluding the idea of primary healthcare under one roof, saying basic healthcare provision fund is at an advanced stage of execution .
Dr Usman said thirty one thousand people have been registered to benefit from the basic health care provision fund across the state, stressing that for the first time, the Health Insurance Agency has taken off in the state under the competent hand of Dr Aladare adding that the Primary Healthcare Development Agency under Dr. Abubakar Yakubu was also making giant achievements.
The Commissioner said seven thousand ,eight hundred persons have so far registered under the Bello Healthcare Initiative which is aimed at eradicating out of pocket expenses for the elderly, children and pregnant women.
He explained that renovation of Primary Healthcare Centres are ongoing across the state with the construction of six gigantic hospitals in the secondary health sector across the state.
He mentioned the Hospitals to include, Gegu beki in Kogi Local Government area, Badoko in Ajaokuta local Government area, Isanlu and the Reference Hospital at Okene.
According to him, the Reference Hospital at Okene is a three hundred bed hospital that will provide specialist care to Kogians and Nigerians alike..
According to him, the hospital which is equipped with state of the art equipment like MIR machine, CT scan and houses six dialysis centers will boost the economy of the state and reduce medical tourism.
According to the Health Commissioner, the hospital will serve as training center for medical personnels at all levels. Dr Usman said because of the state commitment to healthcare , it employed over three thousand healthcare personnel in the state .
Earlier in his remark, the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr Kingsley Fanwo commended the Commissioner for Health for the recorded achievement of the Ministry, stating that the visit was designed to showcase the giant strides of the present administration in the health sector.
He added that, Governor Yahaya Bello has performed excellently in the health sector compared to previous administrations in the state, pointing out that one of thematic areas in the present administration is health care delivery and stressed that the Governor has brought someone with vast knowledge in management, community health and other aspects of the health sector.
