Desmond Mgboh, Kano
Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Mr. Bill Gates and Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, have discussed on the need fortify routine immusation for children as well as polio eradication.
The trio spoke on this during the Health System Strengthening programme end-year review meeting, which involved the Co–chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, Dangote and the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole.
Dr. Ganduje disclosed, Tuesday evening, in Kano, how the state government will, in the first half of 2019, the state government will focus on improving quality of health care services in secondary and primary health facilities in the state and that Kano will not relented in its efforts to put very close monitoring mechanism on the Routine
Immunization and Polio programme, to ensure that the gains from past years are sustained.
Speaking via Skype, Gates commended the state’s Ministry of Health for improving efforts in polio eradication and routine immunszation, especially from the resent Lots Quality Assurance Sampling.
He urged the state government to make its full 2019 financial counterpart contribution to the health basket fund by the end of December this year.
On his part, Dangote acknowledged that Kano has made progress in data quality improvement for routine immunization was happy that the state Ministry of Health has conducted external audit of the tripartite health program.
He challenged the ministry to complete the audit by March 2019.