Kebbi govt to recruit, improve salaries of medical doctors

As part of measures to improve the health sector, Kebbi State governor, Dr Nasir Idris, has approved the recruitment of more medical doctors for the state hospitals.

The governor has also approved an increase in the salaries of doctors working under the state to be at the same level as their counterparts in the federal hospitals.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Shehu Nuhu Koko, stated this on Tuesday in Sokoto during the Quarterly Budget Performance Review Meeting between the Kebbi State House of Assembly, the health sector, and other relevant partners in the state.

He said the essence of the meeting is to strengthen the financial management of the ministry, while assuring that the state government is working on improving the health sector in the state.

Speaking in his opening remarks, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Muhammad Usman Zuru, who was represented by Honourable Muhammad Garba, assured that the assembly will continue to support the Ministry of Health to deliver on the state government’s mandate.

The House Committee Chairman on Health, Muhammad Tukur, said the assembly did not reduce a kobo from the budget of the Health Ministry presented to them.

He, however, called on the Ministry of Health to always work in tandem with the House Committee on Health to ensure good working relations and adequate budget release.

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Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Kebbi State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Hajia Aisha Usman, said the meeting was to monitor the budget performance review of the health sector.

She said the performance review will help to identify bottlenecks and challenges and proffer solutions, while assuring that with the support of State2State, the state is ready to ensure improved budgeting for health and other critical sectors in the state.

Speaking earlier in his welcome remarks, the team leader of USAID State2State in Kebbi State, Usman Faleye, said the aim of the meeting was to ensure improvement in budget planning and performance of the health sector in the state.

He said the meeting is to look into the performance of the budget in the first quarter of the year while assuring that it will be on a quarterly basis.

The program was organized by USAID State2State in conjunction with UNICEF and Kebbi State governments.