The Director General and Chief Executive officer of Kano Independent Research Centre (KIRCT), Professor Hamisu Salihu, who sponsored the free medical services, in partnership, with the lawmaker representing Tarouni Federal Constituency, Mukhtar Umar Yarima, said it is his contribution toward modernising the healthcare system in Kano.
According to him, his focus is on poor Kano indigenes, particularly women, who cannot afford medical bills, adding that the centre procured a variety of drugs for the treatment of those with different ailments.
“We have a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), where we refer some of the outpatients, with complex medical treatment for further treatment. The Centre underwrites to bills incurred at the close of the day.”
As you know, we have so many problems in Kano, and if people can come together, with their money in a way that people can benefit, just like the current free medical service we are providing. There is an army of unemployed youths in Kano, who we are willing to create employment opportunities for, to be gainfully employed.”
“For example, there are so many youths, who were trained in Syria, India, and Sudan but roaming the streets, without any job, hence our commitment to creating employment opportunities for them, to be gainfully employed and become an asset to the society, instead of a liability. We will engage and pay them their salaries”
For the sustenance of the free medical outreach, Professor Salihu appealed to the incoming government to support the efforts of the centre toward medicare for the good people of Kano, particularly the indigent class.
The centre engaged the services of medical experts, ranging from General Medical Doctors, Dentists, Pharmacists, nurses and Health Information Management and Nurses in providing free medical treatment.
In an interview, with Aliyu Kabiru, who is a Medical Laboratory Technician, he explained that the intervention of the centre is to help the poor, who cannot afford the high cost of medical services to access free services to treat their various ailments.
Other medical experts in the centre, according to Aliyu, include Environmental Health Community Health workers, pointing out that the majority of the outpatients were grappling with High Blood Pressure HBP.
According to him, after diagnosing the patient’s ailment, he refers him or her to the doctor, who will prescribe drugs for the outpatient free of charge.
We have plans to extend the free medical outreach to additional 15 Local Government Areas of Kano State.
