Niger State Deputy Governor, Comrade Yakubu Garba, has flagged off the second round of 2023 optimised maternal new-born and child health week.
Flagging off the week at the Bosso Primary Healthcare facility on Tuesday, the Deputy Governor urged parents, especially the women, to leverage the week and make themselves and their children available for the programme.
He said the present administration in the state, under the leadership of Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, has made the health of women and children a top priority, hence the rationale behind the commitment to upgrade all the primary healthcare facilities across the state.
The Deputy Governor, who was represented at the occasion by the state Commissioner for Local Government, Hon. Hamidu Mu'azu Jantabo, said the government was committed to ensuring that the state was disease-free, adding that the packages to be provided were safe and free.
He said that the IBB university teaching hospital under construction will be a world-class health facility that will also accommodate referral services.
Earlier in his remarks, the state commissioner for primary healthcare, Dr. Ibrahim Ahmed Dangana, said the event was a symbolic commitment to the revitalization of the primary healthcare system in the state.
He disclosed that the maternal newborn and child health week was a period set aside to provide healthcare services to women and children from five years downward across all primary healthcare facilities in the state.
While appreciating Governor Umaru Bago for creating the ministry of primary healthcare, the commissioner disclosed that the governor has approved the recruitment of 1000 health workers of different categories and also approved the upgrade of all primary health care (PHC) facilities to grade two health facilities in such a way that they can provide services even at odd hours of the day.
There were goodwill messages from the district head of Bosso, the council chairperson of Bosso local government, and other partners. The Sabo da Kaza cultural troop was also on hand to entertain guests at the event.