By Suleiman Yakubu

The Niger State Contributory Health Agency (NiCare), in collaboration with the Aspire Alliance for Niger State Youths (AANY), has held a free medical outreach for the people of the Maikunkele community in the Bosso Local Government area.
The Director, Programmes and Business Development of NiCare, Pharmacist Attahiru Shehu Malagi, while addressing the gathering, said the agency was set up to provide quality healthcare that is affordable and efficient to all citizens of the state.
He said the officials of the agency usually seized the opportunity of programmes like the outreach to sensitise the public on the need to subscribe to NiCare by contributing a token so as to have access to quality and affordable healthcare that is efficient. 
The director explained that a subscriber starts accessing healthcare services from a primary healthcare facility, and where the facility cannot provide the required services, he is referred to a secondary or tertiary healthcare facility, depending on the case.
He disclosed that as an individual subscriber, one is expected to pay N12,000 per annum to be granted access to the healthcare services under NiCare, and that a beneficiary is at liberty to choose the healthcare facility they want, but that they usually advise people to choose a facility close to them for easy and timely access to healthcare services.
Pharmacist Attahiru explained that the agency has been carrying out sensitization activities, particularly advocacy visits to the gatekeepers of the communities, such as the emirate councils and traditional leaders, but that the medical outreach was the first collaborative activity carried out by the agency, expressing readiness of the agency to collaborate with other organisations to provide access to quality and affordable healthcare services to the people of Niger State.
Similarly, the district head of Maikunkele, Alhaji Suleiman Abdullahi Dada, appreciated NiCare and Aspire Alliance for the kind gesture and urged the beneficiaries to make themselves available and utilise whatever is given to them, advising that malaria is very dangerous and as such they should make good use of the insecticide-treated mosquito nets.
Earlier, the lead volunteer for the free medical outreach of the Aspire Alliance for Niger State youths, Aliyu Haruna Sani, said the organisation provides humanitarian services to the people in the areas of health and education.
He disclosed that the current project of the organisation was in the health sector, where they intend to provide free medical services in 11 local government areas of the state, which include Paikoro, Suleja, Mokwa, Bida, Kontagora, Wushishi, and Lavun local governments, among others.
Some of the beneficiaries expressed their appreciation to both NiCare and Aspire Alliance for the gesture, particularly the free insecticide-treated mosquito nets and other testing services provided.   

By Suleiman Yakubu

Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, has performed the groundbreaking for the construction of 100 primary healthcare centres across the state.
The governor performed the function at the Sen. Idris Kuta Primary Healthcare Centre, Minna.
He explained that the contribution of PHCs is in line with his New Niger Agenda, which he said would reduce the hardship of the common man while seeking healthcare services.
The governor said the health centres would be completed in two years and further revealed that 20 out of the 100 would be completed in the next 10 weeks to demonstrate his commitment to the wellbeing of the citizenry.
He said staff quarters and ambulances would be provided as he announced a N200 million counterpart fund to provide social security and health insurance for 30,000 Nigerlites. He said the PHCs would be provided with solar power sources and directed the Niger State Community and Social Development Agency (CSDA) to work closely with relevant ministries to ensure the project is well executed. 
He also announced a N150,000 scholarship for Nigerlites studying medicine, while those in law, engineering, and sciences will have N100,000. Social sciences and other courses will get N50,000.
Bago enjoined the people to continue to be patient and show understanding with both the federal and state governments as good things are coming.  br> The Commissioner for Primary Health Care Development, Dr. Ibrahim Ahmed Dangana, disclosed in his remarks that the level 2 primary health care centres, which will have labour rooms and wards for women, men, and children, would also be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, ambulances, and staff quarters to ensure effective service delivery.
Dr. Dangana also revealed that the facilities will serve not less than 10,000 people within catchment areas, pointing out that the efforts of the farmer governor would surely leave his prints in the record books. 
The commissioner also read out commendation messages from the Minister of Health and Social Welfare and that of the Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, on the giant stride of the governor, Umaru Bago, and pledged to emulate him at the federal level.
Earlier, the General Manager, Niger State (CSDA), Hajiya Aisha Abdulkadir, said the project will complement the New Niger Agenda of the present administration and will allow for rural transformation in the state.
While commending the administration for the project, she disclosed that other interventions will take place in communities across the state.