Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state has called on residents to strengthen food and water sanitation, as well as personal and environmental hygiene.
He made the call in Lokoja on Tuesday at a town hall meeting in response to cholera outbreak to discuss strategies that will strengthen surveillance for epidemic prone diseases in the state.
Represented by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Edward Onoja, he said Kogi’s almost-zero active case is hinged on multifaceted approaches such as effective sensitization modalities, response mechanisms, robust surveillance and healthy collaboration with major stakeholders to contain diseases.
Bello noted that cholera remains a global threat to public health, commending the proactive strategy to improve early detection, reporting confirmation and effective response to high-priority diseases.
He said since assuming office, his administration has placed a high premium on health as a thematic area of focus by increasing the state’s health financing fiscal space, investing heavily on health infrastructures, health workforce and capacity building to improve service delivery, procurement and distribution of essential medicines, electronic data capturing and tracking system to improve the health sector.
Bello stated that Kogi state primary healthcare facilities have been bolstered with the attendant recruitment of medical doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other health workers, with Kogi leading the pack in the implementation of a Revised Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) for doctors.
He disclosed that cholera across the country has been exacerbated by poor access to clean water, open defecation, poor sanitation and hygiene.
Earlier, the WHO representative to Nigeria, Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo, who joined via Zoom, and State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Saka Audu, stressed that 2021 has witnessed more than 31,425 suspected cases of cholera in Nigeria.
The duo lauded Governor Bello for his fervid attention given to the health sector as well his resolute stands against virulent diseases like cholera.
The Commissioner explained on the achievements of the ministry in the implementation of Kogi State Strategic Health Development Plan, while the WHO Representative assured of adequate collaboration with the Kogi State Government to combating health insecurity through developed programs for the elimination, eradication, prevention, and control of these diseases.
