By Abdullahi Yusuf
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State on Monday inaugurated the state’s first-ever Sickle Cell Centre and a modern Kano State Centre for Disease Control (KCDC), reaffirming his administration’s commitment to strengthening healthcare delivery and improving disease prevention in the state.
Yusuf also launched the distribution of 3,000 customised digital blood pressure monitors to civil servants and political appointees, alongside maternal and neonatal health commodities, accident and emergency supplies, and 4,855 bedsheets for secondary healthcare facilities.
Speaking during the various commissioning ceremonies at the Infectious Diseases Hospital and Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, the Governor said the projects were part of his administration’s health sector transformation agenda aimed at providing quality, affordable and accessible healthcare for all residents.
According to him, the newly-inaugurated Sickle Cell Centre, the first of its kind in Kano State and Northern Nigeria, would offer free specialised services, including diagnosis, counselling, treatment, follow-up care, patient education and comprehensive management of sickle cell disease.
He said sickle cell disease remains a major public health challenge affecting thousands of families in Kano, with many children enduring recurring pain crises and other life threatening complications.
This centre will provide comprehensive care for patients under one roof,while promoting research, innovation and public education on sickle cell disease,” Yusuf said.
He described the Kano State Centre for Disease Control as a strategic investment that would enhance the state’s preparedness and response to infectious disease outbreaks.
He said the centre would coordinate disease surveillance, laboratory diagnosis, contact tracing, case management, infection prevention and control, risk communication and emergency response to diseases such as cholera, meningitis and Lassa fever.
According to the Governor,strengthening preventive healthcare remains a key priority of his administration, noting that investments in disease prevention would reduce pressure on hospitals,while improving public health outcomes.
On the distribution of digital blood pressure monitors, the governor said the initiative was designed to encourage early detection and regular monitoring of hypertension among public servants.
He described high blood pressure as a “silent killer” responsible for strokes, heart disease, kidney failure and other serious health complications, stressing that routine screening could save countless number of lives.
He also noted that the distribution of maternal and neonatal health commodities and emergency medical supplies by his administration would improve healthcare services for mothers and newborns.
Yusuf also stated that the provision of thousands of bedsheets would enhance hygiene standards in government-owned secondary health facilities across the state’s 44 local government areas.
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to expanding healthcare infrastructure, strengthening primary and secondary healthcare services and ensuring that every resident has access to quality medical care, regardless of social or economic status.
Earlier, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaran, said the Kano State Centre for Disease Control was conceived, funded and completed by the Abba Kabir Yusuf administration to strengthen the state’s capacity to prevent and respond to communicable diseases.
Labaran said the facility would serve as the state’s coordinating hub for management of outbreaks of cholera, meningitis, Lassa fever and other infectious diseases through improved surveillance, rapid response and collaboration with relevant agencies.
He commended the Governor for fulfilling his promise to establish the centre, describing the project as a major boost to Kano’s public health system.
He also acknowledged the contributions of development partners, including the World Health Organization (WHO), AFENET, FHI 360, eHealth Africa, the Core Group and other stakeholders, as well as leading health experts who supported the establishment of the facility.
The development partners in their various remarks,praised the Governor’s sustained investment in the health sector, saying that the newly-inaugurated facilities would significantly improve disease prevention, emergency preparedness and specialised healthcare services for the people of the state.