The Kebbi State Governor, Dr. Nasir Idris, has taken steps to revitalize the state’s health sector by approving the recruitment of additional medical doctors for state hospitals.

The governor has also ordered a salary increase for doctors working in the state, to be on par with their counterparts in federal hospitals.

This development was announced by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Shehu Koko, during a quarterly budget performance review meeting with the Kebbi State House of Assembly in Sokoto.

The meeting aimed to strengthen the financial management of the ministry and assure that the state government is committed to improving healthcare in the state.

The Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Muhammadn Zuru, who was represented by Honourable Muhammad Garba, assured that the assembly would continue to support the ministry in its efforts to deliver on the government’s mandate.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Health, Muhammad Tukur, commended the ministry for not reducing any funds from its budget and called for closer collaboration between the committee and the ministry to ensure a smooth working relationship.

The Permanent Secretary, Kebbi State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Hajia Aisha Usman, emphasized that the meeting was crucial for monitoring budget performance and identifying bottlenecks and challenges.

She assured that with the support of the House of Assembly and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) State2State program, the state is poised to ensure improved budgets for healthcare and other critical sectors.In his remarks, Usman Faleye, Team Lead, USAID State2State in Kebbi State, highlighted that the meeting aimed to enhance budget planning and performance in the health sector.

He noted that similar meetings will be held every quarter to review the performance of the budget in the first quarter of the year. The program was organized by USAID State2State in partnership with UNICEF and the Kebbi State government.