El-Rufai

Princess Adejoke Adefulire, Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), on Thursday inaugurated N1.2 billion Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) projects in Kaduna State.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the projects, numbering 124, covered upgrade and construction of primary health centres, perimeter fencing, toilets facilities, staff quarters, solar powered boreholes and procurement of hospital equipment.

The ceremony was performed at one of the new Primary Health Care Centres at Bakin Kasuwa, Chikun Local Government Area of the state.

Speaking at the event, Gov. Nasiru El-Rufai, represented by his Deputy, Barnabas Bantex, said that the projects were located in the six local government areas with highest number of maternal and infant mortality in the state.

He identified the local government areas as Chikun, Kaura, Kachia, Igabi, Kubau and Ikara.

He thanked the SDGs Office for supporting Kaduna state in its quest to improve the quality of life of citizens through the provision of quality health care.

“We will continue to welcome such support and make budgetary provisions to match whatever amount the Federal Government supports us with for people oriented projects, ” he said.

Inaugurating the projects, Adefulire said that they were executed to increase access to quality health care services, particularly to pregnant women and nursing mothers.

The presidential aide said that the projects were implemented under the MDGs 2014/2015 Conditional Grant Scheme.

She commended the state government for the timely completion of the projects and pledged to continue working with the state in providing more health facilities in rural communities.

“We cannot talk about ending maternal and infant deaths when rural population do not have access to health car services.

“We are working with Kaduna state and other states across the country to improve the quality of lives of Nigerians through various intervention in economic, social, and environmental lives of the people, ” she added.

Earlier, Muhammad Abdullahi, Commissioner, Planning and Budget in the state, explained that the projects were executed with N600 million from the SDG office and N600 million from the state government as matching grant.

Abdullahi said that the projects became necessary after a survey in 2016 which indicated that 70 per cent of pregnant women in the state deliver at home.

He said that situation led to a high level of maternal and infant mortality in the state particularly in local government areas where the projects were sited.

According to him, the health facilities would significantly improve the health outcome of the state through increase access to quality health care services.

“The state will continue to make necessary budgetary provision to ensure that no one is left behind in health care service delivery.”