Group vows to fight corruption, ensures accountability in Zamfara health sector

From Ibrahim Sidi Muh’d, Gusau

In efforts to ensure effective health services delivery and easy access to health facilities across Zamfara State, a non Governmental Organization, Advocacy Nigeria (AN) has engaged both elected officials and health service providers Chiefs in various town hall meetings.
This was disclosed by the Programme Officer AN Abuja office headquarters, Mrs Chinyere Nkenna who explained that, the main objectives behind the advocacy were help fight corruption that bedeviled health sector with a view simplify access to health services for the good people of the state.
Mrs Nkenna said, the group vowed to discourage the fast increasing maternal mortality and child deaths which according to investigations were reluctantly caused by either high rate of corruption being the major obstacle, and difficulties experienced by the down trodden in having access to health facilities.
The meetings which were organized by the NA, had simultenously held in Kaura, Gusau and Bungudu local government areas from the three senatorial zones and were attended by number of the state legislatures, State government officials and other stakeholders in finding the lasting solution to corruption in the health sector.
According to statement, a resource person, Dr. Yusuf Lawal who presented a paper titled: Maternal Health Accountability and Role of Elected Officials and Women groups and CSOs, had challenged that, it was the duty of the legislatures to facilitate passing laws to checkmate corruption and deployment of unqualified health personnel.
“It is also the duty of the high ranking officers in the health sector, CSO’s as well, to follow up all allocations made to the sector and to ensure safety delivery of health service equipments distributed to all facilities, and to hold those custodians of the distributed items accountable for judicial usages.