The coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, has commended Gov. Babagana Zulum, for allocating 15 per cent 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 the theme: “Addressing Key Health Challenges Affecting Northeastern States of Nigeria.”
The minister, represented by the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Muyi Aina, lauded the governor for the progress made in the health sector despite the security challenges.
He said that the 15 per cent allocation to the health sector complied with the Abuja declaration of 2001.
“Thank you Governor Zulum for the progress made so far despite 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 (WHO) Country representative, Dr Walter Mulombo, and the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) Representative in Nigeria and ECOWAS, Koffy Dominique Kougcou, commended the governor for the successes achieved in five years.
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 the 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 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.
The Abuja declaration became a rallying call to mobilize more resources from government coffers for the health sector.
