The Kaduna State Government has commenced the recruitment of 1,247 health professionals to provide services in its secondary healthcare facilities across the state.
Dr Paul Dogo, the state’s Commissioner for Health and Human Resources, made this known on Wednesday in Kaduna at a quarterly coordination meeting with development partners in the state.
Dogo said at the meeting organised by the state’s Ministry of Budget and Planning that about 70 doctors, 20 consultants and 1,000 nurses, among others, would be recruited.
He also said that another set of health workers would be employed to man the 255 primary health centres currently being renovated and upgraded.
The commissioner added that the construction of the 300-bed-capacity specialist hospital had been concluded and contract would soon be awarded to equip the hospital.
“What we are doing in Kaduna State is building health systems that would provide adequate and quality health service to the people.
“Resources have been spent in the past with no commensurate impact due to absence of efficient systems that would ensure prudent management of government resources to achieve the desired impact,” Dogo said.
He commended all development partners supporting the government in different capacity and in different areas to ensure that the citizens live a quality life.
Earlier, the state Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Malam Muhammad Abdullahi, said that the state government was bridging the gap in education infrastructure, health facilities and unemployment with support from development partners, among others.
Abdullahi said that the Gov. Nasir El-Rufai led-administration had made 82 campaign promises to the people of the state, adding that some progress have been achieved in that regard.
However, he noted that a social survey conducted by the state’s Bureau of Statistic had revealed that there are gaps that needed to be bridged.
“It was to address these challenges that we are channelling our resources appropriately and sought the support of development partners to ensure the expected result are achieved,” Abdullahi said.
He explained that El-Rufai had set up a committee to ensure smooth implementation of donor funded projects in the state.
He added that the move was already yielding result as donor-funded projects in the state have moved from an average implementation rate of 30 per cent to 95 per cent.
The commissioner explained that the aim of the meeting was to inform the development partners what the state is doing, share experience on success stories and challenges, and suggest the best way forward.
The state commissioners for Environment, Rural and Community Develop; Women Affairs and Social Development; Water Resources, and Health lauded the development partners and called for more support to move the state forward.
Responding, the development partners at the meeting, World Bank, UNICEF, DFID, AfDB, USAID, GATEs and Islamic Development Bank, among others, commended the state government for leading life-impacting interventions in the state.
Dr Idris Baba of UNICEF Kaduna particularly described the state as a magnetic destination for development partners.
According to him, the state is taking the lead in driving the progress in improving the standard of living of the people.
The Kaduna State International Development Cooperation Framework (DCF) 2017 to 2020, designed to coordinate all international development assistance in the state, was presented at the meeting.
