The Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Bill Gates and Chairman of Dangote Foundation, Alhaji Aliko Dangote have commended the efforts of Governors Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe state and Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano state for their continuing efforts to advance and sustain the initiatives on Routine Immunisation (RI), including efforts to kick out and prevent polio and other child-killer diseases.
Gates and Dangote spoke at the Joint End-of-2016 Review Meeting on Strenghtening Routine Immunisation which took place at Government House, Kano.
Mr. Gates joined the meeting from Seattle in the United States via video link.
Alhaji Aliko Dangote lauded the effort of Gaidam’s administration in healthcare despite challenges that Yobe State had faced.
“It is very good to see that Yobe is making a lot of progress and they have done quite a lot despite the challenges they’d gone through. I learnt Yobe has also paid 100 per cent of your contribution to the routine immunisattion basket for 2017. Your Excellency congratulations for that,” he said.
Mr. Gates also spoke in the same vein, and both Gates and Dangote made references to data on RI from Yobe and Kano states from 2016, and called for improvements to be made in some key areas, including data quallity and supply chain logistics.
In his speech, Gaidam appreciated the commitment displayed by Bill & Melinda Gates and Dangote Foundations in strengthening RI in Yobe state, and particulalry thanked Alhaji Aliko Dangote for his support to Intenally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the state.
The governor spoke on the significant number of women and children that were reached with life-saving vaccines, commodities and other health services under the Tripartite MoU signed btween the state government and the two foundations, saying as peace consolidates in the state, “we shall continue to take proactive measures to meet the health needs of our citizens.”
“I wish to assure our citizens and our dependable partners that the Yobe State Government will continue to consolidate on the gains so far recorded. The Yobe State Government had already paid over N100 milion of its contribution for the year 2017. We will continue to take further steps to implement reforms in our health sector for the attainment of a healthy population,” he said.
He called on traditional and comunity leaders to continue to enlighten and sensitise the people on the importance of RI as an antidote against vaccine-preventable diseases and to maintain clean and safe environment for healthy living.
The Commissioners of Health of Yobe and Kano States also spoke at the meeting as were others, including the emirs of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sunusi II and Fika, Alhaji Muhamadu Abali Ibn Muhamadu Idrissa.
Yobe Star Commissioner for Health Dr. Muhamad Bello Kawuwa said the Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Yobe State Government and Bill & Melinda Gates and Dangote Foundation was signed in January 2016 after which a harmonised workplan was developed to guide implementation of the MoU.
He said Yobe state has been supporting 314 health facilities with funds to conduct outreach services for immunisation and that RI services have been expanded to 24 health facilities in Gujba and Gulani Local Government areas, which were previously inaccessible due to BH insurgency.
By the end of 2018, he said, up to 940 health facilities across Yobe are expected to be empowered to offer RI services.
He said said 85 units of direct solar fridges are currently being installed as part of the cold chain logistics for the storage of vaccines and other supplies.
