3rd September 2009
PRESS STATEMENT
The Kaduna State
Government has
expressed its
commitment to
reducing the rate of
poverty in the state
by 20 percent by the
2011 from the
current 70 percent
as well as improved
enrolment figures in
the state schools by
100 percent also by
2011. In the same
vein, the government
is committed to the
reduction of infant
mortality in the
state by 50 percent,
and maternal
mortality by 25
percent by 2011.
The plans of the
government is
contained in a
performance
indicator of the
eleven points agenda
of the Kaduna state
government by the
United Nations
Children Emergency
Fund (UNICEF) which
covered all the
ministries,
departments and
agencies in the
state.
In line with the
plans of the
government, the
state House of
Assembly has passed
into law a bill for
the establishment of
a primary health
care agency to of
coordinate and
supervise the
provision of health
care services to
about 80 percent of
the state
population. The
structures for the
implementation of
the law have already
been put in place by
the state
government.
As part of measures
to actualise the
reduction in the
HIV/AIDS prevalence
rate and malaria
infection in the
state, the
government has
introduced the
procurement of free
antiretroviral
drugs, free
voluntary counseling
and testing, free
prevention of mother
to child
transmission,
provision of test
kits and financial
support to the state
Action Committee on
AIDS as well as the
procurement of
58,000 insecticide
treated nets and
772,150 doses of
anti malaria drugs
at the cost of N537
million to be
distributed free to
beneficiaries. The
government has also
upgraded some
hospitals in the
state from General
Hospitals to
Specialist
Hospitals. These are
the Barau Dikko
Specialist Hospital
and the Gambo Sawaba
Hospital in Zaria
and kafanchan
General Hospital.
Upgrading of these
hospitals cost the
government the sum
of N1, 634, 782,
202.39 while the
provision of medical
facilities in the
hospitals cost the
government N415,
2778,000.
To improve on health
care delivery in the
state, the
government has also
constructed and put
into use three new
general hospitals in
Kawo, Sabon Tasha
and Pambegwa, while
the fourth one
located at Rigassa
is to be completed
before the end of
the year.
Similarly, about
884,400 pregnant
women and 1,363,000
children under the
age of five have
benefited from the
free medical
treatment for
children and women
since inception. The
programme is
currently being
implemented in 115
priamry health care
centres and 28
hospitals across the
state; with a target
of 510 PHCs and 30
hospitals.
The government is
also determined to
ensure quality
education in the
state and is
therefore determined
to improve on the
standard already in
place. To this end,
the government is
determined to
improve enrolment
figures in primary
school in the state
to about 100
percent, raise
transition from
primary to junior
secondary school to
about 85 percent;
raise transition
from junior
secondary school to
Senior secondary
school from 60 to 80
percent and raise
the percent of
science students
from the present 20
to 40 percent by
2011. It is also
determined to train
about 800 science
and 200 English
teachers for schools
in the state from
the state owned
university by 2011.
In the area of water
supply, the
government has set a
target of increasing
the population with
access to potable
water supply in
urban areas from 52
to 75 percent,
increase the
population of people
with access to
potable water in
semi-urban and rural
areas from 15 to 29
percent and achieve
an 85 percent rural
water supply and 70
percent sanitation
coverage by 2011.
Similarly, the
government is
determined to reduce
the rate of hunger
in the state through
the reduction by 50
percent, the number
of citizens
suffering from
hunger, reduce by
half the number of
people living below
1 dollar a day and
reduce the
population of people
living below the
minimum level of
dietary consumption
by 2011.
SIGNED:
Umar Sani
Special Adviser
Media & Public
Affairs
