Kano Commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, has expressed his displeasure over low turnout of children for diphtheria immunisation, lamenting that only 25 were been immunised against the 100 children expected per day.
He stated this while supervising the exercise in Gwarzo local Government expressing dissatisfaction for the turnout of the people.
“We are expecting to immunize 100 children per day but unfortunately they immunized only 25 children which shows the handlers of social mobilization have not done their job well.”
He further expressed dismay that “as the dreaded infectious disease continued affecting people most especially children in the country at various communities, I didn’t see a reason why some parents will refuse to bring their children to the immunization centres”.
He added; “Parents should understand that negligence of immunization is the causative agent of diphtheria outbreak we are battling to contain”.
He said Kano State Government placed uppermost priority on the care of the people of the State, saying that government will not tolerate any action from individuals and groups from any quarter that will frustrate the exercise and may ultimately hamper the health and wellbeing of the people of the state.
He called on the chairman, district head, and other stakeholders of Gwarzo local government to, as a matter of urgency, do all they can to overcome the issues bedevilling the campaign in the area.
According to a statement signed by assistant information officer of Ministry of Health, Alhaji Aminu Sani Ali, made available to TRIBUNE ONLINE on Tuesday, quoted in the statement that ‘His Excellency has already approved the funds to be used in the campaign”.
“Therefore, local government chairmen are called upon to source the money to settle all the outstanding allowances of staff, they will be refunded.”
He disclosed that weekends and public holidays caused the delay for the release of money to each local government,” Dr Labaran stated.
He enjoined people of Gwarzo local government to accord campaign with all seriousness by making sure their eligible children are fully immunised.
He added that there has to be a two-day extension of the campaign in the area in order to immunise all the deserving children in the area so as to cover the gap created in the second round of the exercise.
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