MINISTRY OF FINANCE

Hon. Commissioner Mukhtar Ramalan Yero

Gov. Arch Namadi Sambo has made Accountability and Transparency the basis of his administration' s operation. The ministry of finance in line with that vision has streamlined government accounts for easy management and control. Also for quicker and improve way of processing payment and in order to achieve results and reduce costs, payment of salaries were transferred to banks thus, reducing the cost of C.O.T charged against the Government. The department has also been effective in the payment of personnel costs and pensions as and when due.

The Past: Registration of pharmacists and drug outlets in the State is renewable early with a view to eliminating quacks in the practice. During the period under review a total of 429 pharmacies and 300 pharmaceutical premises were recommended for registration .

In order  to the contain the operation of illegal clinics in the State during period  under review , the ministry formed an ad-hoc committee to regulate the establishment of such outfits. The committee has visited 464 clinics and registered 252 (including those already existing) Total revenue generated through these activities is N355,400.00

The former Kaduna State Medical Stores has been transformed by the present Administration into the Kaduna State Drug Management Agency. Efforts are now in top gear to ensure the full take off of the agency.

The reconstituted membership of this committee has just been submitted to the National Agency For food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for approval before their swearing in by the State Executive Governor .

In an effort to regulate the practice of traditional herbalists in the State, the Ministry submitted a memo to the State Exco seeking approval to establish  a caretaker  committee, and eventually a Board on Traditional Medicine by the State Government , of which a decision is being awaited .

A committee had been set up by government to educate the general public on the dangers on drug and food abuse. The State Government provided the sum of N200,000.00 in June , 2000 for the celebration of the International Day against Drug Abuse Illicit Drug Trafficking ; while N240,000.00 was provided for its activities in the year 2001.

In the Ministry’s effort to improve the existing secondary health facilities and services to enhances their optimum usage in the State, a number of rehabilitation works have been carried out while other health facilities are being established by the State Government. Already the Comprehensive Health Centre at Hunkuyi and the Zonal Blood Bank in Kaduna were completed in 2001 while utility quarters and fencing work in Barau Dikko Specialist Hospital, Kaduna. Has been awarded at the cost of N19,118,144.85.

This project established by utilizing a loan facility from African Development Bank (ADB) for rehabilitating  five secondary school health care facilities at Kanfanchan,  Saminaka, Nassaarawa,  Tudun Wada and Birnin Gwari and in areas of infrastructure training , purchase of medical equipment and procurement of drugs.

As at now, rehabilitation works have reached 95% completion (civil work) at Dr. Gwamna Awan Hospital, T/Wada, and General Hospital Saminaka, Kanfancha and Birnin Gwari. In all, the State Government has disbursed a total sum of N424,414,555.97 as the State Counterpart fund while foreign funding from the ADB is in the sum of USD$8,076,721.53 in addition to civil works, the KHRP has the following components.

The Project implementation Unit (PIU) imported drugs from Messrs International Procurement Agency (IPA) of Netherlands worth N16,157,438.00 in January 2001. Government has already directed the utilization of these drugs.

Government ha already disbursed the sum of 3,000,000.00 to Bio-Medical Engineering Consultants Messr HOPEQ LTD  and APAL INT. CO. LTD for the assessment of dilapidated medical equipment in 16 No. health institution across the State. Approval has been granted from the Bank to embark on rehabilitation and supply of non-medical and hospital furniture worth N38.0M the government also rehabilitated laundry and kitchen equipment at Kanfanchan at the cost of N3.26M.

The PIU has submitted a detailed programme to the ADB and the State Government  for the training of 300 Ministry of  Health staff which was considered and is currently being processed . The total amount required is N24.8M.

Kaduna State is one of the States that participated in the HSF phase1 project. It is also hoping to participate in HSDP-II. The Loan proposal is $5.0M, this will be used to strengthen health care delivery at both primary and secondary levels, capacity building , materials and child health, reproductive health and strengthening of the health management information system (HMIS). The project is going to consolidate the gains of the HSF-I and those areas carefully considered important to improving the Health status of the people of the State.

During the period under review a couple of meeting with World Bank/Federal Ministries of Finance and Health officials have been held, and the project implementation plan prepared. It is expected that the credit agreement will be signed in the second quarter of the year 2002, while the full implementation of the project is expected after credit agreement signing .

Under this programme , the Ministry carried out the following activities

»	Eye camps were conducted in which about 300 blind patients were operated upon to restore their sight.
»	Two rounds of NIDs geared towards the global polio eradication were conducted in October, and November, 2000, the third and fourth rounds were conducted in November, 2001 and January 2002, respectively . Hence, the   State achieved 363,264 coverage of OPV immunization.
»	A total of 1,809, 216 children benefited from vitamin “A” supplement across the State. This was successful owing  to the political and financial commitment of the State and Local Government . About N7.9m was received towards the successful execution of this programme from the inception of the present Administration in 1999 to date.

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