The Bauchi State Deputy Governor, Mohammed Auwal Jatau on Tuesday said the state government is ready to partner with nurses and midwives professionals in the area of scientific research for the training and retraining of the nurses and midwives working in the state owned health facilities across the state for efficient services to people.
Auwal Jatau said this while declaring open, Nurses and Midwives North East Zonal Scientific Conference held at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi.
The Deputy Governor observed that, the importance of nurses and midwives’ profession can not be over emphasized, considering their critical role in the delivery of healthcare services to the citizens, hence the need for the government to maintained a good working relationship with nurses and midwives association and other health professions in the state.
He told the participants of the conference that in Bauchi state, the administration of Governor Bala Mohammed, as a health friendly government, is doing its best to ensure that state owned health institutions are functioning effectively, saying that, through the efforts, the state owned Aliko Dangote College of Nursing Science Bauchi has been accredited by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to commence ND/HND in Nursing in which the programme has since commenced.
Auwal Jatau who said similarly, the Bill and Melinda College of Health Technology Ningi has also been granted approval to commence new programmes, noted that all these efforts are geared towards tackling and overcoming the challenges of human resources shortage in the health sector.
He said part of the ongoing efforts to address shortage of human resources in health facilities is the approval by the state government for the employment of 1,313 health workers across different cadres.
“It gives me great pleasure, and it is a privilege to stand here before you on behalf of my principal, His Excellency, Senator Bala A. Mohammed, CON, Kauran Bauchi, the Executive Governor of Bauchi State, to welcome participants of the Nurses and Midwives North East Zonal Scientific Conference, taking place here in Bauchi state. I am delighted to be in the midst of my professional colleagues from the North East zone.
“Let me specially commend and appreciate the leadership of the NANNM and the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for finding it necessary to initiate and organize this conference with a timely theme:‘‘LEADING INNOVATION PATHWAYS, TRANSFORMING NURSING/MIDWIFERY FUTURE’’. It is my humble belief that the outcome of the conference will contribute immensely towards tackling the numerous challenges facing the profession and health sector in general.
“It may interest you to know that in the history of Bauchi State, the administration of Governor Bala Mohammed was the first governor to organise a health summit some time in October, 2020 with the theme “Optimising the Health Care System in Bauchi State. Other sub-themes: are Tackling Challenges of Health Care Delivery; Utilising Inter-Sectoral collaboration as part of our desire to provide citizens with one of best healthcare services through improving the Health System; and Identifying Financing Options for Sustainable Health Care Delivery.”
The Deputy Governor once again said the present administration has recorded remarkable achievements in healthcare delivery by initiating many healthcare-oriented policies and programmes which was implemented in the first term of the governor, particularly the renovation, rehabilitation and upgrade of primary and secondary healthcare facilities across the state, fully equipped with functional equipments.
In a welcome address, the NANNM Bauchi state chairman, Ibrahim Maikudi while appreciating the support of the state government to the association, assured that nurses and midwives are committed to provide the required support for the delivery of best healthcare services to citizens.