FG, religious orgs collaborate to improve health

The minister of state for health, Dr Khaliru Alhassan who made this known at the commissioning of a hospital built in Sokoto by the Sokoto Archdiocesan Catholic Church noted that such gestures is highly encouraged by the government as  government alone cannot carry the burden of health care.Alhasssan insisted, “Government would continue to support religious […]

The minister of state for health, Dr Khaliru Alhassan who made this known at the commissioning of a hospital built in Sokoto by the Sokoto Archdiocesan Catholic Church noted that such gestures is highly encouraged by the government as  government alone cannot carry the burden of health care.
Alhasssan insisted, “Government would continue to support religious organisations wishing to provide healthcare to the people.”
The hospital, Holy Family Mother Care Clinic, built by the church was commissioned by Sultan of Sokoto, HRH Sa’ad Abubakar III, a demonstration of what Christians and Muslims coming together could achieve.
Khaliru noted that interfaith collaboration “in the country has helped address some key challenges facing health adding that such collaboration can even help improve the health indices in the country”.
The sultan, speaking on the hospital, said that providing healthcare was not an exclussive prerogative of government but a “collective responsibility,” and urged religious leaders to assist in changing the orientations of their followers so that they can become more conscious of their health.
“We all need to take care of our health and we can only do that when we regularly visit clinics,” he said.

Most Revered Martin Kukah, Archbishop of the Sokoto Catholic Archdiocese, said the hospital was open to all women and children of Sokoto irrespective of religious background.
According to him these are efforts to help reduce maternal and child deaths as the presence and accessibility of clinics is crucial to encouraging more women to give birth in hospitals.
Delta state governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, present at the inauguration, donated an ambulance to assist Holy Family Mother Care Clinic, urging families to insist on antenatal care for pregnant women and postnatal care after childbirth.