Kaduna to establish emergency medical services

The Kaduna State Government says it will establish the state’s emergency medical services to improve access to healthcare in the state in 2017.

According the 2017 budget sent to the Kaduna State House of Assembly, the project will gulp N62.9 million.

Of the amount, N2 billion would also be spent on construction of a 300-bed specialist hospital.

A further breakdown of the budget obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) from the state’s Ministry of Budget and planning indicated that the health sector had an allocation of N10.3 billion for capital projects as against N6.6 billion in 2016.

The document said that about N1.4 m would be spent on upgrading and equipping of General hospitals across the state, while N23.8 million would be set aside for landscaping of major hospitals.

It also indicated that N69.2 million would be set aside for malaria control programme and N20 million for Tuberculosis and leprosy control, while Onchocerciasis was allocated N10.5 million.

The budget proposal also indicated that the state’s Primary Healthcare Agency would get N4.2 billion for capital projects out of which N2.9 billion would be spent on renovation and upgrade of 255 health faculties to primary health care centres.

About N186.9 million was allocated to Shehu Idris College of Health Science and Technology, Makarfi, N179.6 million to Kaduna State College of Nursing and Midwifery, Kafanchan and N118 million to Kaduna State College of Midwifery, Kaduna.

The Drug Medical Supplies Management Agency was also projected to receive N1 billion out of which N100 million would be spent on procurement of family planning and reproductive health commodities and consumables.

It also said that “N130 million will also be spent on procurement of therapeutic food and drugs for management of acute malnutrition.

The budget also indicated that N409 million had been allocated to the Kaduna State Aids Control Agency (KADSACA), out of which N90 million would be spent on counselling and testing of 500, 000 persons.

“The ARV programme will gulp N233.4 million, HIV care and support activities, N30 million to condom programme, N50 million and N4 million to scale up adolescent and youths population intervention in 21 LGAs,” it said.

The Government budgeted to spend N215.9 billion in the 2017 fiscal year, out of which N130.3 billion had been earmarked for capital and N85.5 billion for recurrent expenditures.