The Honourable Special Adviser to the President on Health, Dr. Salma Anas, on Wednesday paid an advocacy visit to the Honourable Commissioner for Health, Sokoto State, Dr. Faruk Umar Abubakar, to canvass support for the establishment of a Department of Family Health under the Sokoto State Ministry of Health.
Gatekeepers News reports that speaking during the visit, Dr. Salma Anas explained that the advocacy was aimed at strengthening maternal and child healthcare services through the creation of a dedicated Family Health Department.
She noted that the initiative became necessary following the identification of structural gaps in maternal health service delivery across the country.
According to her, there is a need for a well-defined institutional structure for maternal and family health services at the federal, state and local government levels to improve coordination and service delivery.
The Presidential Adviser appealed to the Sokoto State Government to support the formal establishment of the Department of Family Health within the Ministry of Health.
She disclosed that states such as Lagos and Ondo have already established similar departments with dedicated budget lines and expressed optimism that Sokoto State would soon join them.
Also speaking, the Director, NCDC, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Suleiman Lamurde, urged stakeholders to place the welfare and health needs of ordinary citizens above every other consideration in the process of establishing the department.
In her remarks, Dr. Josephine Adebombo of the Society for Family Health commended the efforts of the Sokoto State technical team towards developing the proposed departmental structure, as reflected in the communiqué presented during the meeting.
Responding, the Honourable Commissioner for Health, Dr. Faruk Umar Abubakar, expressed appreciation to the Special Adviser and her delegation for the advocacy visit.
He commended the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening family health services and assured the delegation of the unwavering support of the Sokoto State Government under the leadership of His Excellency, Dr. Ahmed Aliyu, FCNA, Executive Governor of Sokoto State, towards the establishment of the Department of Family Health.
Dr. Faruk Umar Abubakar disclosed that the process has reached an advanced stage, with the necessary technical work substantially completed and adequate budgetary provisions already being considered to facilitate the formal establishment of the department.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Alhaji Ibrahim Haliru Dingyadi, mni, also assured the delegation that the Ministry would provide all necessary administrative support to ensure the successful establishment and smooth operation of the Department of Family Health.
The advocacy meeting was attended by the Honourable Special Adviser on SOSACA, Alhaji Sada Ibrahim Durbawa; Director General, SOCHEMA, Yusuf Abu Abdulkadir; Executive Secretary, SOSACA, Muktar Isa Ilyasu; Executive Director, Sokoto State Health Services Management Board, Dr. Bello Abubakar Attahiru; Directors of the Ministry of Health; officials of the Sokoto State Primary Healthcare Development Agency; and representatives of development partners.
