Agaju Madugba, Katsina
The Katsina State Government has commenced the building of a specialist eye centre, located at the General Amadi Rimi Specialist Hospital.
The Commissioner for Health, Alhaji Nuhu Yakubu Danja, who disclosed this at the weekend, also noted that government recently upgraded its health institutions for the training of various categories of health workers.
According to him, ‘the construction of a specialist eye centre at the General Amadi Rimi Specialist Hospital had commenced. This is being done with the view at ensuring the availability of comprehensive edge care services in the State.’
Danja said that the upgrade of the School of Nursing, Katsina, the School of Midwifery, Malumfashi, and the schools of Health Sciences at Kankia and Daura, had also elevated all the courses currently being offered in the for schools.
‘The courses have been granted full accreditation by the relevant regulatory agencies.
‘Shortage of human resources for health was another critical problem which this administration has been able to tackle with the recruitment of 993 medical and health workers so far and 30 medical doctors have been granted full sponsorship various residency programmes.
‘Additional 200 health workers have been granted approval tho to undertake the full time and part-time studies at home and abroad in order to build their capacities.’
Meanwhile, the government had fixed January 2021 to begin the implementation of a healthcare scheme for its civil servants to enable workers enjoy what the Head of the Civil Service in the State, Alhaji Idris Tune, describes as uninterrupted health care.
According to him, all categories of workers under the scheme will contribute 2.5 per cent of their monthly basic salaries while government is also expected to make a certain percentage contribution for the project.
He said, ‘in its efforts at improving the quality of life for workers and their families, the government has signed a memorandum of understanding with the organised labour for the state Contributory Health Care Management Agency.
‘The agency will provide access to adequate and affordable healthcare to all categories of public servants in the state and local governmentsn,’ Tune said.