The Speaker stated this on Tuesday, at the end of a two-day engagement meeting with Kaduna State House of Assembly members on health finance and leadership, in Abuja, organised by the Kaduna state Ministry of Health in partnership with the Kaduna State Contributory Health Management Authority, Save the Children, Lafiya among others.
Liman disclosed healthy lifestyle was one of the focal areas of the Assembly, and it would ensure that all the necessary support is obtainable for health agencies and the people of the state.
He remarked that the Assembly was at the forefront of ensuring that a great job is done in delivering all their campaign promises to the people of the state.
“We are here to give you all the necessary support; we are ready and available to give you because health is one of our priorities and one of the agenda of our Governor, Uba Sani.
“During our campaigns, health was one of his priorities. That is why we are at the forefront to ensure we do a great job and deliver all the promises made by us.
“We are here not only as legislators, we are here as partners. We’ll do the right thing for our dear state to uplift the state to a greater height, to share a good vision for the future,” he said.
Earlier, the Kaduna state Commissioner for Health, Hajia Umma Ahmed, while urging the legislators to ensure access to basic, affordable and quality healthcare services in their constituencies at the time of need, appealed to them to grant adequate funds in budgetary allocation for the health sector and also to carry out oversight in the implementation.
Mrs Ahmed said, “You also have the responsibility to ensure proper appropriations of critical health activities in the state budget as well as oversight functions for their implementation in line with the approved mandate of the state.
“As legislators considered being closer to the people you have huge responsibilities in ensuring that your constituencies have access to basic, affordable and quality health care services at the time of need.”
She bemoaned the lack of health insurance awareness which has led to the decline in the participation of poor citizens of the state into the health insurance plan, despite voting in one per cent of the state’s revenue meant for the underprivileged.
“The policy intervention of universal health coverage is hinged on health financing through health insurance. Due to the paucity of knowledge on how the scheme works, there is a gross reluctance to key into the scheme and many of the residents are poor and cannot afford to pay for themselves, the government has earmarked one per cent consolidated revenue fund to cater for this poor and vulnerable population.
Elucidating further, she revealed that the state government has established 72 free medical services for children under the age of five and expectant mothers, as part of its efforts to enhance the delivery of healthcare services in the state, adding that more is done for the functionality of the already existing facilities.
“We have started setting up under-5 clinics that provide free medical services to pregnant women and children under 5, we established around 72 but we are attempting to make them more functional. We make sure the primary healthcare facilities have the necessary staff, medications, and supplies.
“To address these challenges, the Governor recently dispersed 290 primary healthcare facilities outfitted with cutting-edge technology,” she said.
The Director-General of the Kaduna state Contributory Health Management Authority, Malam Abubakar Hassan, said that the state government has domesticated the National Health Insurance Law which mandates every individual to enrol in healthcare insurance.
Hassan, however, said the challenges of poverty, direct apathy of culture and religion, and limited knowledge have hindered the slow pace of its success in the state.
