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Ganduje pledges commitment to polio eradication

By Murtala Muhammed, Kano
10 August 2015   |   4:14 am
KANO State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has reaffirmed his administration’s resolve to ensure total eradication of polio in Nigeria through prompt release of funds and efficient tracking of routine immunisation. The governor hinted that an effective birth tracking and record system would be introduced on immunization alongside training of 1,963 traditional birth attendants to help…
Ganduje-2-7-2-15

Ganduje

KANO State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has reaffirmed his administration’s resolve to ensure total eradication of polio in Nigeria through prompt release of funds and efficient tracking of routine immunisation.

The governor hinted that an effective birth tracking and record system would be introduced on immunization alongside training of 1,963 traditional birth attendants to help in strengthening provision of quality integrated maternal and child health.

Ganduje, who spoke in Kano during the 2015 mid-year review (video conference) on the tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Kano State government, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Dangote Foundation, maintained that his administration is committed to strengthening routine immunization in the state.

Recently, the country celebrated one year without any case of polio and if no cases are reported in the following weeks and the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirms previously affected areas are free of the virus, Nigeria is expected to be removed from the list of countries where polio is endemic.

The governor said that at the inception of the present administration in the state, there were some challenges, which have since been addressed, promising that the government would maintain high support and engagement in routine immunization to ensure a healthy society.

Ganduje stated that he was impressed by the commitment of the state Emirate Council to eradicate polio, noting that only last week, the Emir warned that any traditional leader in his domain whose community refused to cooperate with health officials for immunization would be summarily dethroned.

“We have started birth tracking and record system for routine immunization and soon, we shall start training about 1,963 traditional birth attendants to help in strengthening provision of quality integrated maternal and child health in the state,” Ganduje said.

Bill Gates, in a message from his office in the U.S, congratulated the government and people of Kano and the development partners on achieving one year without any recorded case of polio in Nigeria, pointing out that efforts must be geared towards maintaining the record. He noted that the tripartite arrangement with Kano State government on routine immunization has become a model for other states in the country.

While promising that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will extend its contribution to the tripartite agreement for another one year, Gates emphasized the need for the state government to ensure timely release of its counterpart contribution to the arrangement as well as strengthen the accountability mechanisms in the immunization process.

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