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Olanrewaju Lawal,Birnin Kebbi
Emir Zuru Emirate,Kebbi State,Major-General(rtd) Muhammad Sani Sami,Sami Gomo II has been enrolled into State Contributory Health Insurance Scheme (KECHEMA).
The traditional ruler, was captured into the scheme by Commissioner for Health,Alhaji Jafar Muhammad and the Executive Secretary of KECHEMA, Dr. Jafar Muhammad Augie during the HIV/AIDs public lecture organized by Sami Gomo Foundation to commemorate with World AIDS day celebration held at Zuru town hall.
While speaking at the event, Kebbi state Governor,Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu,represented by the Commissioner for Health, Alhaji Muhammad Ja’far commended the Emir’s Foundation for delivery quick health services to the people of the Emirate,noted that the health outreach organized by the Sami Gomo foundation would solved a lot of health challenges among the people.
He disclosed that due to aggressive awareness by the foundation, the HIV/AIDS rate among the people of the Emirate has reduced because the campaigns against the menace were taken to nooks and crannies of the areas.
Ja’afar added that the Kebbi State government has also launched health insurance contributory scheme and Cancer control plan to ensure quick health delivery to the people , stressed that indigents funding was also launched by Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu to help less privileged Cancer patients.
In his welcome address,Executive Director of Sani Gomo Foundation, Alhaji Tanko Musa Magaji ,who was the former Kebbi state Head of Service, said the huge world investment in the HIV response over the past 20 years has paid and reduced large HIV related death in the past decades as HIV infection reduced by 49% since the peak in 1998.
He said: “and AIDs related death have been reduced by 60% as a result of increase access to antiretroviral therapy from 2015 according to ‘Global HIV/AIDs stastucs -2020.
“However, despite this progress in the response,HIV/AIDs and other epidermic like current COVID 19 continue to pose serious public health treats in all regions world -wide including Nigeria,Kebbi state and Zuru Emirate in particular.
” It is in this regards that Sami HIV/AIDs Trust(SHAT) established in 2004 renamed Sami Gomo foundation and incorporated in September, 2019. We retained HIV/AIDs as one of its key intervention area.
“In 2020 the world’s attention has Been focused by the COVID 19 pandemic on health and how pandemic affect lives and livehood . COVID 19 is showing once again how health is interlinked with other critical issues,such as reducing inequalities, human rights,gender equality, social protection and economic growth.
It is worthy to note that information is crucial in promoting vulnerable children and women in the society, I call on members of our communities covering all ages,all genders,all religions and all ethic backgrounds to join the crusade to stop the menace of HIV/AIDS in our society. I urge ourselves and families to have regular examinations to ascertain our status as early detection saves lives”.
The Executive Secretary of KECHEMA, Dr. Jafar Muhammad Augie explained that the scheme would ease bottlenecks of accessing quick and quality health service across the nooks and crannies of the state.
