The coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, has commended Gov. Babagana Zulum, for allocating 15 percent of the state’s budget to the healthcare sector in compliance with the Abuja declaration of 2001.
Pate gave the commendation on Tuesday in Maiduguri in a keynote address at the opening session of the North East Commissioners of Health Forum.
The forum is with theme: “Addressing Key Health Challenges Affecting Northeastern States of Nigeria”.
The minister, represented by the Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Muyi Aina, lauded the governor for the progress made in the health sector inspite of the security challenges.
He disclosed that the 15 percent allocation to the health sector was in compliance with the Abuja declaration of 2001.
“Thank you Gov. Zulum for the progress made so far inspite of the challenges.
“Thank you for the increased budget allocation to health and thank you for being innovative.
“I also thank you for your support to health workers in rural areas which is so critical to achieving the gains that we so desire in healthcare”, Pate said.
In their separate remarks, the World Health Organization Country representative, Dr Walter Mulombo, and the Food and Agricultural Organisation Representative in Nigeria and ECOWAS, Koffy Dominique Kougcou, commended the governor for the successes achieved in five years.
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Responding, Gov. Zulum, highlighted the successes he had recorded since 2019 when he assumed leadership of the state.
These, he said, included human resources development, increased allocation to the health sector, provision of free maternal drugs, and reconstruction of destroyed health facilities.
Others are construction of new health centers and improved working conditions for health workers.
Zulum also promised to establish two new schools of nursing in the state in order to address the challenges of manpower.
He urged the participants to come up with a framework that could address challenges faced in the health sector, particularly in the rural areas.
Credible news reports that the Abuja declaration, became a rallying call to mobilize more resources from government coffers for the health sector.
